Liveblog: ELECTION DAY!

At long last, it has arrived. I just came back from casting my ballot. Now all we can do is wait.

I'll be glued to CNN all day long so make sure to check back in throughout the day for some crazy Election Day liveblogging!

9:26 - CNN is covering the final election stops for both candidates, trying to get out that message one more time. They're interviewing Jesse Jackson Jr. who apparently is a Congressman from Illinois who is being discussed as Obama's replacement in the Senate if needed. Let's not count our chickens before they're hatched, guys. There are still plenty of ways the Republicans can steal... err, "win"... this election.

9:48 - Don't forget that it's not just about the White House today. The Democrats are also looking to pick up nine Senate seats to have a filibuster-proof majority there. Keep your eyes on all those races as well.

9:59 - The shows are pretty silly right now. Talking about what companies are giving freebies for voting. Having some first time voters leave their comments on the CNN site and showing them. Nothing much of substance yet. No major voting problems yet but CNN does have a hotline you can call if you experience such a problem. That's awesome of them.

10:02 - They're talking about big crowds in some places, huge voter turnout - but sparse crowds in others. That's going to make me nervous. I said this morning that I think high turnout favors Obama because I don't think McCain was motivating people to go register. They're at a poll in Florida with a couple people in line. There was one in Missouri earlier with no one there. They're saying the big counties in Florida are reporting one to two hour lines. We waited 45 minutes or so this morning. STAY IN LINE, PEOPLE! Don't get frustrated and leave because you think your vote won't matter. EVERY VOTE COUNTS!

10:27 - They just showed a woman who videotaped herself as she flipped a coin in her bedroom this morning to decide who to vote for. What a maroon. Oh, but it landed on heads which for her was Obama soooooo... Good job!

10:33 - Report on voting problems nationwide. Some scary stuff. Some mechanical problems, some problems with not being on the voter rolls, some people just bitching about lines. They did note that there is a growing number of voters complaining about coercion. I'm curious to hear more about that. Virginia is having problem with wet ballots because of the rain. They're talking about a polling place where they had 5 of 7 machines break down and had to switch to paper ballots. How the fuck does this stuff happen? Arrrrgh.

10:36 - They're interviewing a family with three generations of African-Americans. Gave me a bit of a chill. The grandmother is crying and saying that God kept her here for a reason and she believes it's so she can see this day. The grandson [named Shaquille by the way!] says that Obama has inspired so many people and has inspired him to try and be a better person. The mother says it's more than just African-Americans though - that Obama is an inspiration to people of all races and ethnicities. You said it, sister.

10:39 - Holy crap! They're projecting that Colorado will have over 90 percent voter turnout. That's nuts. They also say over fifty percent participated in early voting which they think explains the short lines in many places.

11:55 - Not a lot to talk about yet. A McCain rep was just on saying that they'll win Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and that their polling shows them within the margin of error. I know he's paid to say all that but I'm planning on being nervous until it's over. And really over - not Al Gore Wins! over.

12:07 - The first polls close in just under three hours and they're talking about record voter turnout nationwide that they now fear may delay vote counting because of long lines. It could be a long night, people.

12:24 - God, I can't wait for the polls to close. They just spent ten minutes talking about race with some guy who made a poster of Obama as a white guy and McCain being black. I wanted to Van Gogh [or Mick Foley] myself and I truly thought it wasn't going to get any worse - until they just announced that an interview with Joe The Plumber is coming up. Fuuuuuuuuuck! WHERE ARE THE EXIT POLLS?!

12:43 - Seriously, they just did another teaser for the Joe The Plumber interview. SLIT! MY! WRISTS! Oh, here he comes finally. A phone interview! He's too busy to show up live via satellite. I hate this fucker on CNN during the day too. He should probably be doing the weather somewhere. Maybe the Wacky Weekend Weather. He should wear a hat and throw little magnetic suns and stuff at the wall. Joe The Plumber says his principles are why he doesn't want other people's money and WHAT IF?!? WHAT IF?!? Oh my god. The CNN guy told him, "You're nowhere near making that kind of money so why do you care?" His reply is, "So it's okay to go out and rob a bank?" THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN! The CNN guy is drilling him. This is awesome. Joe says the people who make over $250k shouldn't get taxed more because they've "worked harder in their lives." Wow. This is amazing television suddenly. He's calling the CNN guy "brother" and getting pissy because "you haven't vetted Obama like this!" He's telling the CNN guy to "look up principles in the dictionary and then maybe you'll understand."

12:57 - Uh oh. People having to do provisional ballots in Pennsylvania now. A lady complained about having to do one because she was left off the registration rolls at a place she's been voting at FOR TEN YEARS! How the hell does that happen?

12:58 - Jeremiah Wright ad that has been running all day. "Barack Obama. Too Radical, Too Risky." Also features the catchy catchphrase "Hate He Can Believe In." Mudslinging fuckers. There's a special level of Hell reserved for those fuckers, I tell ya!

1:07 - A comment went across the scrawl that said, "WRITE IN HILLARY CLINTON!!! SHE SHOULD BE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE!!!" It's funny - I didn't know my Mom knew how to send comments to CNN.

1:23 - Apparently the first batch of exit polls are going to be covered within the hour. Wolf Blitzer has taken over now so I'm much happier. They're talking with an Obama senior adviser now who is... well, talking about Obama playing basketball. Anything for a story today, I guess.

1:26 - MAGIC WALL~! First appearance of the night. It truly is Election Night now.

1:57 - 2 1/2 hour wait to vote in Miami. Hopefully there's no chad a-danglin'. There's also a report of a hoax text message that says, "Due to long lines today, all Obama votes are asked to vote on Wednesday. Thank you." Who the fuck believes shit like that? Honestly, if they didn't all seem to be targeted towards Democrats, I'd hold up the belief that anyone who falls for that doesn't deserve to vote to begin with. But... well, yeah. Go vote, dummy!

2:10 - EXIT POLLS! The Economy is the #1 issue with 62 percent of voters - big shock. Iraq is 10 percent. Terrorism is 9 percent. Health care is 9 percent. They're talking about how exit polling works. Fascinating stuff there. Under one hour til the first polls close. No exit polling on Early Voting or Mail-In Voting. They did some phone polling on those voters though. That's all so far. Losers. 3 hour lines in Orlando. DON'T GIVE UP, PEOPLE! STAY IN LINE!

2:17 - MORE EXIT POLLS! Huh. So in almost every state with exit polls in, people who were concerned about Iraq voted for Obama. That's a surprise for McCain, I bet. That's kinda interesting but it hardly qualifies as "BREAKING NEWS" like Wolf sold us on. Oh, joy... we're going to Alaska! The poor bastard they sent to Alaska looks like he's freezing his balls off. It's apparently 9 degrees. She "hopes, prays, and believes" she'll win. Awesome. They asked her if she voted for Senator Ted Stevens who was convicted on corruption charges recently. Her response? "I don't have to tell anyone who I voted for." Now they're showing the Clintons voting. Bill says he feels great about what Hillary did. Wow. Hillary has crazy bags under her eyes. She looks awful. Oh, Fox News said earlier that the Clintons may have voted for McCain. Nothing like trying for one last ditch effort to divide the party. Fuckers.

2:27 - I love CNN's "Fact" section on the crawl. "FACT: If Barack Obama wins, he'll become the first African-American president." No shit? I wish someone had said something before. "FACT: If John McCain wins, he'll be the first President from Arizona." Fascinating.

2:30 - Of United States voters whose vote was driven by terrorism being their top concern, 86 percent voted for McCain. Luckily, only 9 percent marked that as their top issue nationwide. Giuliani is... IN... THE... HOUSE! Less than 30 minutes til the first polls close. Rudy says the Republicans have "lost part of their brand" since they're no longer the "small government, low spending" party in reality. He wants to re-establish that to "win back the base."

2:40 - More voting problems. 3,000 calls in the last hour. Norfolk, Virginia has lines of 5 to 7 hours with reports of people leaving the polls. DO! NOT! LEAVE! Take a book. Take your iPod! Come on, people. What's more important? Five hours of your life watching reality TV or voting in potentially the most important election of your life. EXIT POLLS~! People who describe themselves as "New Voters" are 72 percent in favor of Obama. Good news.

2:50 - Awesome. Robocalls in Spanish announcing that Fidel Castro is endorsing Obama and that you should "vote right now for John McCain" to spite Castro. This was a robocall that just started going out to Cubans in Miami - talk about late campaigning. Oh, and it's not some generic PAC doing it. That's an official McCain/Palin call. You stay classy, Wasilla.

3:01 - POLLS CLOSE! Some polls have closed in parts of Indiana and... somewhere else. Missed it. We're waiting for the first batch of poll results. EXIT POLLS~! Here's the big one. Economy. 93 percent say the economy is "not so good" or "poor." 70 percent believe Obama will raise their taxes. 61 on McCain. That didn't show us much. Kentucky is the other place where some polls closed. Less than an hour for more polls to close! Awww yeah. It's getting exciting now!

3:23 - Kentucky is 61 to 37 for McCain with 0% reporting for 8 electoral votes. The first state to start reporting.

4:07 - Had some cable trouble. Figures, right? So, apparently Kentucky's been called for McCain and Vermont to Obama to put us at 8-3 so far. Anderson Cooper has taken over now and has the full panel with him. They're talking about the Senate races right now. They're also showing McCain up in Indiana at this point but haven't called it.

4:14 - They've got Obama up by one point in Indiana with 7 percent in. McCain's up by 11 points in Virginia with 1 percent in. Those are both pretty important battleground states.

4:16 - WHAT. THE. FUCK. They have some chick in the studio via hologram. It's fucking weird. Just when I thought the Magic Wall and the floating pie chart of doom was bad enough - this takes the cake. This is on the level of Celine Dion doing a duet with Elvis on Idol.

4:!9 - McCain 8 - Obama 3. McCain up by 8 in Florida with 0 percent in. Indiana is back in McCain's column by 1 point with 9 percent in.

4:21 - The Indiana gov race is over and the Republican won big. I have to think that's a bad sign for Obama's chances there. Obama closes Virginia to 6 points with 2 percent in.

4:24 - Florida - 8 point lead for McCain with 0 percent in. Virginia - 7 point lead for McCain with 2 percent in. Indiana - McCain with a 3 point lead with 12 percent in. Bad news so far but "it's still early." The Magic Wall says only rural areas in Virginia have reported anything so far. They're looking at Indiana 4 years ago which was mostly red - so far that's changing so there's hope. The Magic Wall says Obama is running stronger than Kerry in Indiana so far.

4:30 - Virginia is back to 8 points with 3 percent reporting. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia are closing their polls right now. Two of those are very big. Florida - Obama has pulled out to a 14 point lead with 1 percent reporting. Virginia - McCain is up 12 points now with 3 percent in. Mccain has pulled back out to 5 points in Indiana with 14 percent responding. Of course, now they noticed that Florida's numbers don't add up so they're checking.

4:38 - North Carolina - Obama up by 3 points with 0 percent reporting. Florida - Obama up by 14 with 2 percent reporting. Indiana - McCain up by 3 points with 19 percent reporting, a 17,000 vote difference. Obama leading by 3 points on the nationwide popular vote with 1 percent reporting.

4:44 -
Florida - Obama up 10 points with 4 percent reporting
North Carolina - Obama up 1 point with 0 percent reporting
Indiana - McCain up 3 points with 21 percent reporting
Georgia - McCain up 41 points with 1 percent reporting
So, some mixed news there. They're showing the big event that Obama has planned at Grant Park in Chicago right now. I read that they hired the organizers for Lollapalooza at the same venue to plan it. I sure hope they have something to celebrate tonight. 15 more states are about to have their polls close as well. Anderson Cooper is putting over how awesome the hologram thing was - riiiiight.

4:51 - I've gotta admit. CNN is awesome for leaving the crawl up during commercials. I'm not getting much out of it being in HD but at least there's that. Weird thing is that when a local commercial comes on, the crawl drops out. Lame.

4:54
Less than 7 minutes for another 16 polls to close. MAGIC WALL~! Indiana is up to 26 percent reporting. Obama is taking more areas than Kerry did by far but will it be enough? He's also outperforming Kerry in areas he's losing. South Carolina just got projected for McCain even though Obama is leading by 11 points. That means...

John McCain - 16 Electoral Votes to Barack Obama - 3 Electoral Votes

4:58 - 2 minutes til more polls close. Wolf says there will be projections almost immediately on some of these. IT'S SO EXCITING! 90 seconds! They're discussing how they can call SC when Obama is leading. It's all off exit polls. Back to Wolf... 3...2... 1...PROJECTIONS! CNN calls Mass, Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maine, Delaware, Maryland, and DC for Obama. Good grief. They call Oklahoma and Tennessee for McCain. When all is said and done...

Barack Obama - 77 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 34 Electoral Votes

5:02 - I can't believe how many projections they do just off exit polls. Unbelievable. Back to exit poll info. McCain got 71 percent of white votes in SC. 84 percent from evangelicals. Shocker, I know. They haven't called any Senate races yet that I know of. The chart still shows the Dems with a 41-27 lead in the Senate.

Florida - Obama up by 10 with 17 percent reporting
Virginia - McCain up by 13 with 19 percent in
NC - Obama up by 24 points with 2 percent in

5:12
Okay... how can I not put this in here?

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

5:14
Ohio - Obama up by 37 points with 1 percent reporting
West Virginia - Obama up by 13 points with 0 percent reporting
Georgia - McCain up by 27 points with 4 percent reporting
NH - Obama up by 15 points with 5 percent reporting

5:18
Florida - Obama up by 6 points with 30 percent in
NC - Obama up by 17 points with 5 percent in
Indiana - McCain up by 3 points with 35 percent in
Virginia - McCain up by 13 points with 28 percent in
Wow, Obama's chief campaign strategist is being interviewed. He's got a vicious combover and really kills the vision of Obama having all these young, hip, stylish people guiding him through the campaign. Wait. I was the only one who had that vision? Fuck.

5:30
PROJECTION!
New Hampshire goes to Obama with 4 electoral votes

Barack Obama - 81 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 34 Electoral Votes

Some Senate updates - Dems pick up Virginia, getting close in Kentucky, winning big in NC so far, winning nicely in NH right now as well. It's looking good so far. Keep your fingers crossed.

5:40
PROJECTION!
OBAMA TAKES PENNSYLVANIA!
So, the last ditch effort to snag Pennsylvania by the Republicans didn't pan out. And I'm pretty sure it was the state that McCain supporters were saying they HAD to win to stand a chance.

Barack Obama - 102 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 34 Electoral Votes

Whoa. There's a big gathering of people in Times Square watching the results come in. That's so awesome.

5:50 - The Senate chart shows 47 for the Dems and 30 for the Repubs. There's still hope there too. The panel says paths to victory for McCain are running low.

PROJECTION!
HAHA! That psycho nutjob Elizabeth Dole just got knocked out of her Senate seat. Who's "godless" now, bitch?

5:55 - 5 minutes to go for another big batch of states' polls to close.

5:58 - McCain takes Alabama even though he's currently losing.

Barack Obama - 102 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 43 Electoral Votes

More projections coming in one minute!

6:00
PROJECTIONS!
Obama takes Rhode Island, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York
McCain takes Wyoming and North Dakota

Barack Obama - 174 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 49 Electoral Votes

6:13
McCain takes Georgia
Barack Obama - 174 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 64 Electoral Votes

6:21
Senate checks in at 52 to 35. Now the Dems need 8 out of 13 seats to get the 60.

6:23
PROJECTION!
McCain takes West Virginia

Barack Obama - 174 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 69 Electoral Votes

6:34
PROJECTION!
Obama takes Ohio! That's a big one! With 20 more votes, that takes the magic number down to 76.

Barack Obama - 194 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 69 Electoral Votes

6:35 - There's never been a Republican to win the White House without winning Ohio. That's a good sign. It's a stark contrast when they go between the two campaigns' events for tonight. While Obama's event has packed thousands into this huge park with this massive stage, McCain's in a small ballroom in Arizona where we've seen the Phoenix Boys Choir and Hank Williams Jr. perform.

6:43
Senate Update - The Republicans pick up another one. 52 to 36. That window is growing narrow.

6:48
Obams takes New Mexico, McCain takes Louisiana
Barack Obama - 199 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 78 Electoral Votes

6:53
They just showed the popular vote and discussed it. Very close right now. I'd imagine the West Coast should put some distance between the two - I hope anyways. The last thing the Dems want is an Electoral win but a popular loss. I don't think that's likely to happen but even if it's close...

7:00
PROJECTIONS!
Obama takes Iowa, McCain takes Utah and Kansas
Barack Obama - 206 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 89 Electoral Votes
Senate Update - 54 to 36 - a crack in the window. They need to take 6 of the last 10.

7:11
PROJECTION!
McCain takes Arkansas
Barack Obama - 207 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 95 Electoral Votes

7:19
PROJECTION!
McCain takes Texas
Barack Obama - 207 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 129 Electoral Votes
That's a big one but unless California somehow flew off the handle - we should be safe.

7:24
PROJECTION!
McCain takes Mississippi
Barack Obama - 207 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 135 Electoral Votes

7:58
PROJECTION!
Obama takes Virginia!
Barack Obama - 220 Electoral Votes to John McCain - 135 Electoral Votes

Here comes the closing of the CA polls. This should do it.

8:00
PROJECTION!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
OBAMA WINS! OBAMA WINS! OBAMA WINS!

8:12
There was a lot of talk this morning about the full page ad that CNN took out in the NY Times today. I thought it was amazingly awesome and wanted to share it in this fantastic moment.

There is a moment, a simple moment, before history gets recorded.
Before it goes in the books.
Before it appears as a question on a game show.
Or on a midterm exam.
A moment right before the headline is written.
There is a moment when history lives in the present.
When we can watch it unfold in real time, right before our eyes.
And we can all assume our place in it.
Some people live for history.
We live for the moment just before.

8:20
McCain coming out to concede... to the music from Days Of Thunder. That's a WTF?! moment.

8:30
McCain leaves to the Crimson Tide theme. Someone bought the Bruckheimer soundtrack boxset for Halloween.

8:50
Awesome post at the LAist

Other than elementary schools, it seems like all of our nation's polling places are in church halls. Is this a violation of church and state? Is it Christian hubris?

On one level it is insulting to people of other faiths who may not feel comfortable in such close proximity to Jesus. How would many of these Christians feel if they had to go vote inside a Wiccan circle? Or at the Church of Satan?

But there is also a part of me that loves it. A part of me says, "Suck it, right-wing Christians! I just voted for sodomy and killing babies! In your face!!!"

9:17
Wow.

10:38
With the champagne [Prosecco actually] bottle empty and the stark reality that it doesn't look like the Dems will be able to snag the 60 seats in the Senate, let's take a look at one of the last issues that I actually give a damn about.

With 32 percent reporting in California, Prop 8 is winning - that's bad for those who can't keep it straight [no pun intended.] Yes On 8 has a six point lead. It's not over yet! Keep the faith, my friends. CNN's exit polls look pretty good for those of us rooting the other direction.

11:18
Man, post-victory election coverage can be a real downer. It feels like CNN has spent the last two hours running down all the reasons why Obama will be a failure. I'm glad I drank or I'd probably be really pissed off.

By the way, with 41 percent reporting, Yes On 8's lead is down to four points. We're getting closer!

The horrible thing is that similar propositions have passed in Arizona and Florida tonight as well as an absolutely despicable measure in Arkansas that banned gay couples from adopting children. On a night where we all should be very proud to be Americans, there have been some measures passed tonight that really make me disgusted to be a part of this society.

11:48
So, Alaska's criminal Senator is currently winning his race.

...

Tells you a lot about Alaska's taste in politicians, eh? You betcha. Anyone else feel nauseous when they were talking about Palin being the "front-runner" for the Republican nominee for 2012? I just can't believe someone can say that with a straight face but with her appeal to the conservative base, if they can enough "popular" conservative issues [gay marriage, abortion, etc.] on swing states, anything can happen.

Speaking of gay marriage, with 49 percent of precincts reporting, Yes On 8 is up by six points again. As I did a little digging to see which counties had already reported in large amounts, I started to get a little nervous. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be surprised if this passes tonight - sickened, annoyed, embarrassed, outraged, and more... but not surprised. This is one of those "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" moments, I think.

11:56
Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper are signing off for the night - I think I'm about to as well. I'll probably keep the TV on until I fall asleep to see if I can catch any more details but they don't expect to have final results on the Senate races until tomorrow or later at this point. Prop 8 will probably come in in the next hour or two but since I'm working tomorrow, I think I'll bow out of my election reporting.

It's been a lot of fun watching all of this unfold and I'm beyond ecstatic that the candidate I've supported and talked up for so long now has won the highest office in the land. I'm disappointed by some of the other outcomes - the apparent failure to gain 60 Senate seats, the sickening message sent by some of the American public regarding gay marriage and gay adoption, a few others come to mind as well. But on the whole, I have to be optimistic for the future. I have to have hope and faith that the candidate I put my support behind can make the change he has promised for so long.

I hope you all got out and voted today. No matter who you voted for, I hope you went out and exercised your right and, quite frankly, your duty as an American. It was an awesome day for all of us - a historic day that few of us are likely to forget anytime soon.

That's right. JOE THE PLUMBER GOT OWNED!

...

Oh yeah, that Obama guy won too.

Yes we can? Yes we did.

The Battle Lines Are Drawn

Politics is a fascinating beast if you take the time to study it. As a former Political Science major [who changed majors because I missed a midterm because I wasn't going to class - whoops], I've always been intrigued by the field. I feel a little guilty because I haven't been following the Democratic National Convention very closely this week. I hear that there have been some amazing speeches and I'm hopeful that I'll still be able to track them all down online to watch in the near future.

But that's not the reason for this post.

I just opened Yahoo to discover that John McCain has selected his VP candidate and, in the process, ensured that whoever wins come November, history will most assuredly be made.

And don't think for a second that McCain doesn't know that.

I'm not going to belittle Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's sure-to-be-impressive resume for the second highest post in the land buuuuuuut...

Well, if ever a selection reeked of a political maneuver, it's this one. And that's not to say that Obama didn't do the same thing in selecting Biden - because of course, he did, but it was a little more subtle. Biden has worlds of experience in Washington and has experience in the areas where Obama is likely to take a hit - so that makes them a good match.

Without having done much research this morning, McCain's selection strikes me as a blatant grab for Hillary Clinton's supporters - or more specifically, those who supported Hillary because they felt, as a woman, they had an obligation to do so to put a woman in the White House. This move by McCain smells like him trying to grab that sense of obligation and steer it in his direction. After all, we've heard for weeks now that Hillary's voters haven't swayed to Obama yet [it's bitter grapes in my opinion - they'll see the light before it's over] so McCain making a final grab for them makes perfect sense.

It's quite genius and whether you like it or not, you at least have to respect the initial brilliance behind it. But it's quite transparent so if she turns out to be a flop or grossly underqualified, it could be the final nail in the political coffin of the former POW.

I saw somewhere this morning that 67 days remain before the election. That seems unreal to me. The drawn-out primaries really shrunk down the actual campaign time to where it hasn't even felt like an election year so far. But I'd imagine it's going to get kicked into overdrive right about now.

Should be a fun run. I'm looking forward to it.

That One Is Our Last Hope...

Context Is Key

I know, I know... I keep saying we're not doing the politics thing. But there are things that bother me that sometimes I just can't help but share with the rest of the class.

Context is key.

CNN Contributor Roland Martin on "Chickens coming home to roost":

"As this whole sordid episode regarding the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has played out over the last week, I wanted to understand what he ACTUALLY said in this speech. I’ve been saying all week on CNN that context is important, and I just wanted to know what the heck is going on.

I have now actually listened to the sermon Rev. Wright gave after September 11 titled, “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall.” It was delivered on Sept. 16, 2001.


One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.

He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril:

“I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.”

“We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.

“We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.

“We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.

“We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.

“We bombed Qaddafi’s home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against the rock.

“We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they’d never get back home.

“We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.

“Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.

“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.

“Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that.”

He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.

“What is the state of your family?” he asked.

And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.

His sermon thesis:

1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.

2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won’t put me on PBS or national cable for what I’m about to say. Talk about prophetic!)

“We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society,” he said.

Wright then said we can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. He said we may need to declare war on racism, injustice, and greed, instead of war on other countries.

“Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40 billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death, do you think we can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death? Maybe we need to declare war on the nation’s healthcare system that leaves the nation’s poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social transformation.”

3. This is time to tell God thank you for all that he has provided and that he gave him and others another chance to do His will.

By the way, nowhere in this sermon did he said “God damn America.” I’m not sure which sermon that came from.

This doesn’t explain anything away, nor does it absolve Wright of using the N-word, but what it does do is add an accurate perspective to this conversation.

The point that I have always made as a journalist is that our job is to seek the truth, and not the partial truth.

I am also listening to the other sermons delivered by Rev. Wright that have been the subject of controversy.

And let me be clear: Where I believe he was wrong and not justified in what he said based upon the facts, I will say so. But where the facts support his argument, that will also be said.

So stay tuned."




Roland Martin on "God Damn America":

"I just finished listening to the nearly 40-minute sermon Rev. Jeremiah Wright gave on April 13, 2003, titled, “Confusing God and Government.”
ALT TEXT

For those of us watching and listening to the media in the last week, it is better known as the “God Damn America” sermon.

Wright’s scriptural focus was Luke 19:37-44 (reading from the New Revised Standard Version).

In this sermon, Wright spoke about the military rule during biblical days, led by Pontius Pilate. It was clear, through his language, such as “occupying military brigade” that he was making an analogy to the war in Iraq.

“War does not make for peace,” he said. “Fighting for peace is like raping for virginity.”

“War does not make for peace. War only makes for escalating violence and a mindset to pay the enemy back by any means necessary,” he said.

He then gets to the thesis of his sermon, saying, “y’all looking to the government for only what God can give. A lot of people confuse God with their government.”

Wright criticizes the Bush administration and its supporters for using Godly language to justify the war in Iraq. He equates using God in America as condoning the war in Iraq to the same perspective of Islamic fundamentalists.

“We can see clearly the confusion in the mind of a few Muslims, and please notice I did not say all Muslims, I said a few Muslims, who see Allah as condoning killing and killing any and all who don’t believe what they don’t believe. They call it jihad. We can see clearly the confusion in their minds, but we cannot see clearly what it is that we do. We call it crusade when we turn right around and say that our God condones the killing of innocent civilians as a necessary means to an end. WE say that God understand collateral damage. We say that God knows how to forgive friendly fire.”

“We say that God will bless the shock and awe as we take over unilaterally another country, calling it a coalition because we’ve got three guys from Australia, going against the United Nations, going against the majority of Christians, Muslims and Jews throughout the world, making a pre-emptive strike in the name of God. We cannot see how what we are doing is the same thing that Al-Qaeda is doing under a different color flag – calling on the name of a different God to sanction and approve our murder and our mayhem.”

He continues on his thesis of equating government with our God, saying that God sent the early settlers to America to take the country from Native Americans; ordained slavery; and that “we believe that God approves of 6 percent of the people on the face of this earth controlling all of the wealth on the face of this earth while the other 94 percent live in poverty and squalor while we give millions of tax breaks to the white rich.”

He also criticizes the “lily white” G-7 nations for controlling the world’s capital.

Then Wright speaks to:

1. Governments lie.

“This government lied about their belief that all men were created equal. The truth is they believed that all white men were created equal. The truth is they did not even believe that white women were created equal, in creation nor civilization. The government had to pass an amendment to the Constitution to get white women the vote. Then the government had to pass an equal rights amendment to get equal protection under the law for women. The government still thinks a woman has no rights over her own body, and between Uncle Clarence (Thomas), who sexually harassed Anita Hill, and a closeted Klan court, that is a throwback to the 19th century, handpicked by Daddy Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, between Clarence and that stacked court, they are about to un-do Roe vs. Wade, just like they are about to un-do affirmative action. The government lied in its founding documents and the government is still lying today. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about Pearl Harbor. They knew the Japanese were going to attack. Governments lie. The government lied about the Gulf of Tonkin. They wanted that resolution to get us in the Vietnam War. Governments lie. The government lied about Nelson Mandela and our CIA helped put him in prison and keep him there for 27 years. The South African government lied on Nelson Mandela. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about the Tuskegee experiment. They purposely infected African American men with syphilis. Governments lie. The government lied about bombing Cambodia and Richard Nixon stood in front of the camera, ‘Let me make myself perfectly clear…’ Governments lie. The government lied about the drugs for arms Contra scheme orchestrated by Oliver North, and then the government pardoned all the perpetrators so they could get better jobs in the government. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. Governments lie. The government lied about a connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein and a connection between 9.11.01 and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq being a threat to the United States peace. And guess what else? If they don’t find them some weapons of mass destruction, they gonna do just like the LAPD, and plant the some weapons of mass destruction. Governments lie.”

2. Governments change. He said long before the United States colonized the world, so did Egypt.

“All colonizers are not white. Turn to your neighbors and say that oppressors come in all colors.”

He then went back to the Bible and spoke about the changing of kings in Babylonia.

“Prior to Abraham Lincoln, the government in this country said it was legal to hold African in slavery in perpetuity…when Lincoln got in office, the government changed. Prior to the passing of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, government defined African as slaves, as property. Property, people with no rights to be respected by any whites anywhere. The Supreme Court of the government, same court, granddaddy of the court that stole the 2000 election. Supreme court said in it’s Dred Scott decision in the 1850s, no African anywhere in this country has any rights that any white person has to respect at any place, any time. That was the government’s official position backed up by the Supreme Court – that’s the judiciary; backed up by the executive branch – that’s the president; backed up by the legislative branch and enforced by the military of the government. But I stop by to tell you tonight that government’s change.”

“Prior to Harry Truman’s government, the military was segregated. But governments change.”

“Prior to the Civil Rights and equal accommodation laws of the government in this country, there was backed segregation by the country, legal discrimination by the government, prohibited blacks from voting by the government, you had to eat and sit in separate places by the government, you had sit in different places from white folks because the government said so, and you had to buried in a separate cemetery. It was apartheid, American style, from the cradle to the grave, all because the government backed it up.”

“But guess what? Governments change. Under Bill Clinton, we got a messed up welfare to work bill, but under Clinton blacks had an intelligent friend in the Oval Office. Oh, but governments change.”

“The election was stolen. We went from an intelligent friend to a dumb Dixiecrat. A rich Republican who has never held a job in his life; is against affirmative action (and) against education – I guess he is; against healthcare, against benefits for his own military, and gives tax breaks to the wealthiest contributors to his campaign. Governments change. Sometimes for the good, and sometimes for the bad.”

“Where governments change, God does not change. God is the same yesterday, today and forever more. That’s what his name I Am means. He does not change.”

“God was against slavery on yesterday, and God, who does not change, is still against slavery today. God was a God of love yesterday, and God who does not change, is still a God of love today. God was a God of justice on yesterday, and God who does not change, is still a God of justice today.”

“God does not change.”

3. He then speaks of the government in his Bible text and said the Romans failed. Then he said the British government failed even after it colonized the world. He said the Russian government failed. The Japanese government failed. The German government failed.

“And the United States of America government, when it came to treating her citizens of Indian descent, she failed. She put them on reservations.”

“When it came to putting her citizens of Japanese descent fairly, she failed. She put them in interment prison camps.”

“When it came to putting the citizens of African descent fairly, America failed. She put them in chains. The government put them on slave quarters. Put them on auction blocks. Put them in cotton fields. Put them in inferior schools. Put them in substandard housing. Put them scientific experiments. Put them in the lower paying jobs. Put them outside the equal protection of the law. Kept them out of their racist bastions of higher education, and locked them into positions of hopelessness and helplessness.”

“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three strike law and then wants us to sing God Bless America. Naw, naw, naw. Not God Bless America. God Damn America! That’s in the Bible. For killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating us citizens as less than human. God Damn America as long as she tries to act like she is God and she is Supreme.”

“The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent. Think about this. Think about this. For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you’ve got 5 million blacks that are out of work. For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you’ve got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one Condi-Skeezer Rice, you’ve got 1 million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat at the Masters, with his Cablanasian hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women, God has this way of brining you up short when you get to big for your Cablanasian britches. For every one Tiger Woods, we’ve got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course. The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent.”

“Tell your neighbor he’s (going to) help us one last time. Turn back and say forgive him for the God Damn, that’s in the Bible though. Blessings and curses is in the Bible. It’s in the Bible.

“Where government fail, God never fails. When God says it, it’s done. God never fails. When God wills it, you better get out the way, cause God never fails. When God fixes it, oh believe me it’s fixed. God never fails. Somebody right now, you think you can’t make it, but I want you to know that you are more than a conqueror through Christ. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”

He then went on to talk about the salvation of Christians through the death of Jesus Christ. The sermon ended with a song proclaiming, “God never fails.”"


And that's that.

Context is key, people. Always remember.


EDIT: And if you managed to wade through all that, here's your reward!

Tsk tsk tsk

Dueling Ads

Did someone wise and brilliant recently say something about "emotional blackmail?"




And the response ad...

It's Going To Be One Of Those Days

Man, I'm getting riled up by half the stuff I see online tonight... this morning... whatever.

I know, I know... I said that I wasn't turning this into a political blog [and trust me, after reading some of the crap in the comments fields on those blogs, I mean it!] but come on... I mean... come on! How can you not look at this and just be physically ill?

Here's the highlights to really twist your stomach...


AUSTIN, Texas - The two sons of Ann Richards, the late former Texas governor, are objecting to an Internet video published by Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign that suggests their mother would have supported Clinton.



Richards was governor from 1991-1995. She died in September 2006 at age 73. The two-minute video on Clinton's campaign Web site comes a week before the Texas primary and targets women voters in the state.

"So many women around Texas and America are saying, `Wish Ann was here, for us and for Hillary,'" a female voiceover says on the video.

"Today Ann would be asking all of us to make a statement. She would be traveling to every small town and big city in Texas, urging us all to take a stand, be counted, to make a difference, to make history," it says while a picture of Richards and Clinton appears on the screen. "This one's for Texas. This one's for our country. This one's for Ann."


OH MY GOD! If that's not the most blatantly, sickening form of emotional blackmail I've ever seen! They are truly sinking to new lows. If you can't win a nomination without using the memory of a dead woman and saying "this one's for her!" then you probably would be better suited in another line of work. I can't believe my family is all supporting her... well, I can... but that's more an indictment of my entire family than any faith in her.

Seriously, that's one step away from "Win one for the Gipper!"

I'm expecting Bill to announce he's dying any day now and that his last wish on Earth would be to see Hillary in the White House. It's gotta happen. She's running out of options.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in a campaign strategy session. It would be the ultimate reality show.

Alright... to be fair, it says the campaign got the woman's daughter to okay the ad but when her sons protested, their response was, "You're not going to sue us, are you?"

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

When the hell is November going to get here?



EDIT: Oh, you people deserve so much less than me! Look what I found for ya!