Howard Dean is first.

IMO the winner of the presidential election will be determined by the youth vote --

-- both here in America on 11/04/08 and in Sierra Leone this weekend Sat/Sun 08/11 through 08/12/07:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070807/lf_nm/leone_elections_dc_1

War-scarred youth hold key to Sierra Leone polls

By Katrina Manson

Tue Aug 7, 3:33 AM ET

FREETOWN (Reuters) - In Freetown's rubbish-strewn slums, where sick children defecate in sewers by pot-holed streets, music blaring from shops and taxis tells Sierra Leone's youth that politicians have failed their war-ravaged country.

The West African nation's 1991-2002 civil war was infamous for drugged child soldiers who raped and mutilated thousands of civilians, but now young Sierra Leoneans hold in their hands the future of their country, one of the poorest on earth.

At presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday -- the first since a U.N. peacekeeping force pulled out in 2005 and a crucial test of the former British colony's emergence from conflict -- over half the 2.6 million voters will be under 32.

"Pak N Go!" booms the chorus of a dance floor hit by rappers Jungle Leaders in a stark message to the ruling party. Other songs -- in the Krio dialect devised by the freed slaves who founded the colony -- urge young people to oust the graft-ridden establishment and take a stand against violence.

President Tejan Kabbah is stepping down at the polls, having picked his deputy Soloman Berewa as the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) candidate. But disillusionment is rife with their failure to tackle corruption and curb biting poverty, despite the country's reserves of gold, diamonds and minerals.

"Last time I voted for Kabbah but he did not do what he said," said Osman Koroma, 26, a builder who earns less than $1 a day. "I'm angry: there is no light, no roads. We do suffer. (Politicians) do nothing for us. All they do is eat."

Like many voters, Koroma is going to switch his support from the SLPP to the opposition All People's Congress (APC), which is promising zero-tolerance for graft and could mount a strong challenge for power after a good showing in 2004 local polls.

Another song popular on Freetown's rain-soaked streets, by an artist called Emerson, brands politicians as "Tu Fut Arata" -- two-legged rats.

...

1.

I see you're already receiving HD (high-definition) viewing there.

2.

Speaking of Emerson, here's  a sample of his Salone (English Creole slang for Sierra Leone) music:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xvDdu3qOwmc&mode=related&search=

IMO the winner of the presidential election will be determined by the youth vote --

___________________________________________________________________________

rd,

Crikey are we in big trouble then..........msot of these "youth" walk around brain dead half the bleedin time................like the zombies from shaun of the dead................

The designation of the Districts should be FL-01, etc to be consistent with other web usage.

US1--is confusing, for example.

districtblogs.com  already has pages set up for all the congressional districts, but they're not being utilized by hardly anyone but me.

Are we re-inventing the wheel here? 

* rdorgan
Wed, 08/08/07
9:03 am

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I didnt bother to read the post, so I asumed with the picture of the woman and the sign sitka on it.............well, 1+1=3..........................sorta

While I don't approve of salacious reporting, the letter sent out to Florida Young Republicans is instructive.

This is a map of the perception of political corruption.  Could we say that Americans are just dense?   

* rdorgan
Wed, 08/08/07
9:03 am

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I didnt bother to read the post,

...

+++

No problem.

I suspect most don't read my posts.

*rdorgan.  Do you consider yourself the youth vote?  I remember when you kept talking about "your genergation being represented".

Now I find out you are my age, so I need to know if I can now consider

 myself the youth vote 

sorry, was still in RICH TEXT

*rdorgan. Do you consider yourself the youth vote? I remember when you kept talking about "your generation being represented".

Now I find out you are my age, so I need to know if I can now consider myself the youth vote

Linda*in*SFNM
Wed, 08/08/07
10:06 am
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Youth vote?  Crimes, that rules me out...............just got my AARP card in the mail last week..........what worries me about the youth is that many have been pampered by the "me" generation.........they dont know how to lose, only want to win and are great at computer games but cant open a door in the dark at times....................

I suspect most don't read my posts.

___________________________________________________________________________

rd,

You Obamaized us to death a few weeks ago.....................

Linda*in*SFNM -

Not to get caught for plagarism or anything but -

"you're as young as you feel".

Don't worry, I'll be busy elsewhere for awhile.

bye

from the pictures of you Linda, I'd say you qualify

Dear MoveOn member,

The Democratic-controlled Congress did the unthinkable on Saturday night: They gave President Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales more unchecked power to wiretap Americans without a warrant.1 Yes, that's the same Attorney General who is currently mired in scandal and probably committed perjury on this very issue.2

Why'd they do it? Because the president used fear to intimidate them and it worked.3

Enough is enough. We have to send a strong message to Congress that there is no trade-off between fundamental liberties and security. Preserving our Constitution is essential to our security—we can't lead on freedom around the world when we're actively undermining the rule of law at home 

Click here to add your name to the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/capitulation/

To keep focus on this, we're helping start a new long-term effort called the American Freedom Campaign to keep the pressure on Congress and make sure they fix this mess instead of making these powers permanent. We hope you can help over the coming months.

Click here to add your name to the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/capitulation/

President Bush still hasn't responded to Congress' subpoenas demanding the legal rationale for his warrantless wiretapping. If they don't rein him in now, it is unlikely that he—or any president that comes after him—will ever comply with this kind of necessary oversight.

Thanks for all you do,

–Nita, Wes, Justin, Carrie and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
  Tuesday, August 7th, 2007

Phil, pictures can be deceiving, can't they? :)

Mike, hubby's been getting his for a year. But hay, they're just starting much earlier these days.[wink, wink] I guess I have about 3 or 4 to go before I get mine.

Hi Folks,

Guess there's a new thread.  Wanted to say Michael Ellis #13 that AARP is a scam.  They were instrumental in privatizing the drug medications bill.  They are essentially and mainly an insurance company and conned millions, 60 million 50 + folks into joining because they sold themselves as an advocacy group. The only advocacy they perpetrate is privatizing health care and profits.

Just my two cents.  I sent them an angry letter and dropped my membership.  Scam artists, all!