First.............

Howard Dean is first, as is working for democracy and not just expecting it or whining about a perceived lack of it.

Hi Folks,

Just finished watching Bill Moyers' interview of Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  What a wonderful progam, moving in every way.  Thank you Bill Moyers and Reverend Wright, who is not only a good man, but a brilliant, compassionate, and a learned and knowledgeable pastor and teacher.  He is a hero.

Two main thoughts stay with me: the depth of the suffering of those who have been marginalized, discriminated against, demeaned, oppressed, and how that is really a soul killing, and the mis-education of all of us in this country.

As a student in the 50s and 60s, I did not know of the small pox infected blankets given out to the Native Americans, did not know of the Trail of Tears, the Long March of the Navajo, did not know that African Americans were lynched, denied equality, and so on. And the mis-education, dis-education, under-education, and no-education goes on.

I have a sense that this one hour interview will go down in our history as outstanding, as a beacon of honesty, understanding, compassion, and truth.  Don't miss it if you have the chance.

I have hope, maybe, maybe, the best in us will come forward.  We have been as the dominant culture so blessed, so endowed, just maybe now we will be ready to stand up for truth, for decency, for fairness, for goodness, for recognition that we are all connected, all one family on this planet.

Good Night friends. 

Before the clock strikes midnight on the eastern seaboard, I want to wish jjem! a very happy birthday. I have a photo of her at the womens' march in D.C. four years ago with her Dean sign with an " . . . .and it's my birthday !" postscript on it.

I s*ck at baking cakes - virtual or otherwise - so I'll ask Diane to create the real thing and someone else here will have to create the virtual one !

And, as always . . . . . . .

Pat, you know, this interview will be ignorned because it has meaning.

We have news readers. not journalists.

right not abc is showing a program on what people think of if they see woman kissing. that is news.

turn it off.

Mike - c'mon - admit that when Obama wins the great State of North Carolina, Senator Clinton will concede . . . . . . no, forget it. She'll call it a great day for herself - like LIEberman bragging about his three-way tie ( for fourth place ) in New Hampshire four years ago !

hey david, I was at that march with my daughter. I couldn't see howard, he was swamped. what a great time. but where were they there at election time? still pissed on that.

been to a lot of marches. did it do any good? no cause the media said it did not happen.

remember my button that said "lindab"? still have it.

Hi, Pat. Thank you for sharing some thoughts about the Wright - Moyers interview. I look forward to catching up with it when possible.

Howard Dean is still my hero. insert crying here

Hi, Linda. That march helped keep me going - just as the one I attended today near Henry Kissinger's party with GWB and David Cappiello. Spending some time with old friends and new friends here in CT - including Jim Dean - helps ease the stress and keeps me focused.

I watched most of the Wright/Moyers interview. Also thought it was excellent. Think Wright is a very forward thinking, outside of the box thinking man. You can see a lot of Obama in him I think - well actually him in Obama. The problem with the GD America speech is there is so much truth in it - we go around the world being violent and expect ourselves to be invincible. During the last half hour I was switching btw Moyers and McLaughlin. Can't think of anything to quote from McLaughlin. Monica said (I think it was Monica) that Wright had become to Obama what Bill is to Hill which is an interesting way to look at it -- they both have their good points but have 'killed' their candidate with well meaning intentions - not a quote but a paraphrase.

Joan thx for the 'quote of the day.'

Everyone have a good night.

And Linda - with the great small-time media around us - I say "Who the f**k needs MSM anyway ?"

And happy birthday Jessica!

Howard's on MTP Sunday a.m. - and his 50-state strategy is bringing us an intellectually and morally brilliant president in January.

Go Obama !

I have just a couple comments regarding events of the past couple days.

 I'm sure most of you are familiar with the ad the North Carolina Republican party plans to run; which appears to me to be quite racist.  In addition, the person who created the Willie Horton ad back in 1988 is now doing one slamming Obama for not voting for the death penalty for gang members back in 2001. They also apparently allude to the fact that there were 36 gun related deaths in Chicago last weekend,  which is apparently Obama's fault.

To me, these two things prove two things: 1. ) Michelle Obama is absolutely correct when she says that this country is mean to certain segments of society. 2.) Obama was ripped in Pennsylvania for his views on guns. This seems to prove the point that gun control is needed. Let the hunters hunt; but keep the guns out of the schools and off the streets.

Obama is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

What Denise said!

Hey all....Thank goddess it's Friday...whew-long week. 

Hi cChal - long week is right. I took off from the office about 1pm today to take my admin out to lunch. She deserves it so much. She chose Red Lobster...LOL. Hey it was her choice and she likes the hot biscuits. I had some popcorn shrimp. Then I sped over to my friend's house to pick up my SHARKS TICKETS for Sunday. He has VIP passes - dinner, drinks and an awesome seat. I'm so excited. I haven't been to a hockey game since the Blackhawks at the "real" Chicago Stadium many moons ago.

Somehow hockey out here is weird but they sure are a good team. We'll see what happens. They play tonight too.

I'm enjoying a nice evening alone, looking forward to brunch tomorrow with a friend who currently lives in Paris and is out here on business. Cannot wait to see her!!

Really insightful, I thought:

"Clinton seems to believe that no matter how much damage she inflicts on Obama and the party to win the nomination she will survive because McCain will be fatally weakened by an ailing economy and an unpopular war. Clinton seems unwilling to pass up such a chance.

But the Clintons do not seem to understand that the kind of revulsion they are generating in what was once the heart of their base is not your garden-variety political frustration. It is born out of a historical anger that requires 25 minutes in the supermarket aisle or 900 words on the op-ed page of the New York Times to explain. The idea that Obama, having played by all the rules and won by all the traditional measures, could lose the nomination because of Clinton's argument that he is unelectable because he is black, is profoundly revolting to many black people.

The angst about white working-class voters and their influence in the battleground states has convinced many that, despite the seeming improbability of a Clinton triumph, Obama will not be allowed to win, because, in the end, he is black.

This is too cynical for me, but Clinton's argument that Obama is not electable because he does not appeal the working class white voters, feeds prejudices in order to benefit from them. Racism doesn't need racists to succeed.

Not that many black people are making that distinction these days."

 (more at the link)

Denise, hey....popcorn shrimp is pretty good there:)

"Somehow hockey out here is weird but they sure are a good team. We'll see what happens. They play tonight too."<<

Too funny:)  The spouse's (hat tip: Monica) parents are originally from Canada.  They are avid Sharks fans.  Love their Sharkies.  Season ticket holders. 

"Michelle Obama is absolutely correct when she says that this country is mean to certain segments of society."<<<

She sure is right about that.  This is truly historic.  Too many people in this country cannot abide a black president.  I figure my best contribution is to do voter registration....get those new voters out there.   

OK time for a glass of Merryvale chard and I'm off to la la land

Have a nice night all :)

looking forward to brunch tomorrow with a friend who currently lives in Paris and is out here on business. Cannot wait to see her!!<<<<<<<<

Good for you!  Nothing like old friends.  I always have room in my heart for new friends too, though.  Feel like I made a new friend in you.  Hope we can do a bruch or cocktails soon.

Good night folks and take care.  Glad that you're all here. 

Had to drop back in to tell puddle that the menu at the place my friend and I are having brunch tomorrow, Triptych in San Francisco serves this:

Omelets~
House Selections:
Fromage – Humboldt fog goat cheese

I also saw the entire Moyers/Wright interview... excellent!  Pat and Annilow's write-ups on it were superb. Don't miss it!

Denise and cC you sound so very 'Bay Area' w/ your brunch plans w/ Parisian friends and having fog cheese omelets and Sharks tickets -- I'm so jealous.

finished up on two days work so I can take the day off to go to the convention and will have to drive an extra 35 miles because flooding has closed the main highway south, bummer

several schools closed because of flooding

and this on a date that historically that has been one has been best for corn planting

food will go out of sight in price if we have a poor crop

"plant in the dust, bins go bust;plant in the mud, the crops a dud"

I'll report when I return, there are still 15% allocated to Edwards to convince, which will be of interest.  

hope this works, before the clock strikes 12....

. . . . . . . . . . ♥ . ♥ . ♥ . ♥ .♥ . ♥ . ♥ . ♥. .♥. ♥ .♥ . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . ||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..|| . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~~~♥ H A P P Y ♥~~~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~♥ B I R T H D A Y ♥~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~♥ ♥ ♥ jjem! ♥ ♥ ♥~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .(_________________________________) . . . . . . . .

Guess I just can't stay away tonight....lol

Here's some news

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan wants to snatch House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat from her in November, but first she's going to need the help - and signatures - of 10,198 friends and supporters.
Sheehan was at San Francisco City Hall on Friday to take out papers for her independent run for Congress, but without those signatures from voters in the district, her name won't show up on the ballot.
"It's an uphill battle," said Sheehan, who vowed to run against Pelosi in July after the speaker refused to start impeachment proceedings against President Bush. "But I'm excited about the signature-gathering process. It's going to be an opportunity to talk to people about our campaign."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...

We knew she was going to keep her promise :)

Safe travels tomorrow Phil

Annilow :)

That Humboldt Fog cheese is so good. I bet you miss it here sometimes. I've had job opportunities lately in New Orleans and Los Angeles but I'm staying put here for awhile.

If you're hungry don't look here

http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/cheese...

happy birthday, jjem! 

****************

the moyers interview of rev wright was so full and contextual and grown-up.  if barack and rev wright had private conversations like this interview--which it's likely they had--it's understandable that obama stayed in wright's church. 

did the united church of christ grow out of the congregational church?  that might explain the '99% white' that barack refers to.

*****************

there's something southern and racial about the back-and-forth between the clintons and the african-american electorate.  today rep clyburn used his considerable skills at signifying to lay down the marker--the clintons' damaging obama for the general.  it's intriguing to see this streetcorner verbal sparring still there among powerful elected officials.

The Moyers/Wright interview was excellent; not to be missed.  Too bad most voters will prolly never see it. 

Wright said he's received death threats and the church bomb threats.  That is so profoundly sad.

His sermon after 9/11 about displaced rage and anger exists not only in gov't, but in family and friends as well.

Fight with the boss?  Kick your dog.   Angry at a few terrorists?  Destory a country and kill the children.

Years ago, a friend turned me onto a book called, "Lies My Teacher Told Me."  It's an astonishing and accurate portrayal of the real history of the U.S.  It'll make you sick at heart to know how poorly educated even the *educated* are.

**************************

Goodnite.  Acceptance is the key. 

pinsocial, I'm quite sure Wright said that he and BO never discussed politics...a remark I found strange especially since he was a part of BO's campaign for awhile.

Good morning, everybody

No, Annilow, I don't think I ever opined about Wright's relationship to Obama.  But, if Obama said they never discussed politics, it may be because he makes a distinction between politics and policy--the former being the process by which people persuade others to elect them.  He made that distinction in the editorial interview yesterday.  Clinton apparently has decided that the way to get elected is to destroy the electorate's opinion of her opponent.  She hasn't yet cottoned to the fact that it's the electorate's opinion of her that counts.

White dominance in this country is really an illusion.  People who can't control their own fear of black people can't be adjudged to be in charge of anything.  The question is whether white people are ever going to wake up.  Are they going to be allowed to wake up?

That McCain favors pay discrimination should not come as a surprise.  He's convinced that some people are (not do ) better than other people and he's always looking for evidence.  He thinks that wealth is an objective measure and a good non-racist and non-sexist and non-ethnic measure--i.e. not influenced by prejudice.  That the accumulation of wealth is an unreliable signifier if only because wealth accumulation is often achieved through deception and crime doesn't occur to him.  I'm sure he thinks that he got to marry a wealthy heiress because he's a super fellow and deserved to prosper because of his incarceration.  That he's where he is because a lot of people cared neither about him or her probably doesn't even cross his mind.  But, if you ask around, you'll find that there are damned few people who would actually want to be a U.S. Senator.  Fewer still who would want to be president. I guess that's part of why we need the illusion--that something is worth having when it's really not.

Read Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." 

No, Seashell, Wright was never part of Obama's campaign.  The Clintons have dragged him in.  The prohibition against supporting candidates for election is absolute and honored for the simple reason that, if they had to pay taxes on their rvenues, the record keeping and auditing alone would eat up a major portion of what they collect.  Of course, smaller congregations that have virtually no income can afford to be less conscientious.  But then, they're not particularly attractive to candidates anyway.

It's quite possible that the initial impulse for scouring the Church's enterprises was to see if they could dig up political involvement and then, when that didn't pan out, they latched on to Wright's preaching which those who still believe in hellfire probably find quite unsettling.  And then, of course, there's the guilt.  When people feel guilty about something, they don't just repent and vow to do better.  As often as not, they deny what they did and then do it again to prove to themselves there was nothing to feel guilty about in the first place.  Which is why, IMHO, guilt is an absolutely useless emotion.

Not long ago my daughter-in-law revealed that she feels guilty whenever her son does something wrong.  Talk about a stultifying attitude.  The result is that the kid does nothing on his own. 

http://hannah.smith-family.com/?p=2349

She sure is right about that.  This is truly historic.  Too many people in this country cannot abide a black president.

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

chal,

Maybe people should start advertsing hes half white then................that wil garner some votes from certain types.

We've been notified about this issue and we'll take a look at it shortly.

indeed, in the run-up to the indianapolis interview someone made the point that he's half black and half white to account for his ability to reach across boundaries.

'cannot abide a black president' is a somewhat peculiar formulation, since it suggests an on-going condition.  It's not possible to abide something that isn't.  What the formulation suggests to me is that the speaker is somewhat unsure about even stating that a person's skin color is off-putting.  I can understand the hesitation.  However, I think it's important for people to express their fears our loud because that's how we over-come them.

good morning - it's a beautiful day here!  thank you all for your thoughts on the overnight thread.

I always knew that race would have some sort of sway in this primary season and it certainly will in the general.  the press is hyping it up, but they've left behind the story that in most states, race is not the issue - folks from every state, large and small, have cast their vote for a dark man with the last name of Obama.  I thought about that - in my little state of Vermont we have ethnic diversity, but only in the 'cities!' like Burlington - in the outlying areas, most folks have never had an ethnic name on their ballot and few have had a dark person running in their local district.  I'm sure it must be the same for the many other states.

so in retrospect I am PROUD of the gains we've made in America, while acknowledging that we still have a long way to go.  the serious conversations we've started this year are the herbs to heal the pain - thank you Barack Obama!  you had faith in America and now America is showing her faith in you.  together we can continue this conversation and work on healing this nation in more than just her politics.  I'm encouraged and hopeful for the outcome - every day I see another reason to believe that America is momre than ready for a President Obama!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOLK8y4BE7c

When we permit conervatives to assign responsibility other than where it rightfully belongs, we not only let people get away with murder, so to speak, but we guarantee that the resulting problem wiil not be corrected.

"Wright was never part of Obama's campaign.  The Clintons have dragged him in. "<<<<<<<<

This is factually incorrect.  Obama organized a "spiritual advisory committee" for his presidential campaign.  Wright, before his GD American statement, was a member of this campaign committee.  The Clintons had no role in selecting Obama's advisors.

Good morning, all. 

good morning cC - hope you're having a good day!

while that's true, Wright had left that committee well before the videos were shown - the Clinton camp claimed that he was an active member of his campaign at the time the vids came out and they continued to lie about this for quite some time.

"Maybe people should start advertsing hes half white then................that wil garner some votes from certain types."<<<<<<<<<

Well, that won't work.  Most people who are half identify stronger with the people of color side of their family.  This is a known fact through sociological studies and I've certainly seen it reinforced in my personal life-among my social circle. 

From the perspective of many, many whites....1/2 black=black.  We had laws around that in the antebellum South. 

I'm not saying that I don't believe that Barack can win...truthfully, I really don't know, but I do know that this election is historic and I plan to be a part of it.  I'm fighting for him.

We should all be "all in" on this election.  mho. 

Hi Jo.  I'm up early as I work East Coast hours...gotta be in the office by 6am so even on the weekends I'm up early.  Go to bed early too, thankfully:)

Jo, I just think we need to forget about Hillary and start doing all that each of us can do to get him elected.  As I mentioned earlier, I think my best contribution is to register voters.

Thanks for the clarification, but I think the HIllary obsession here is a distraction from the heart of the matter.  Again, jmo.

I'll say this about Hillary:  I find it profoundly disappointing that she is using tactics against Barack that were used against her by the ugly Republican, fear-based attack machine for over a decade.  Deeply disappointing.

Thank you Denise.

---

"Howard Dean is first, as is working for democracy and not just expecting it or whining about a perceived lack of it."---Denise

ok...so now he didn't do enough drugs?!?!?!?!?  WTF!?

"Mr. Obama, of Illinois, has never quantified his illicit drug use or provided many details. He wrote about his two years at Occidental, a predominantly white liberal arts college, as a gradual but profound awakening from a slumber of indifference that gave rise to his activism there and his fears that drugs could lead him to addiction or apathy, as they had for many other black men.

Mr. Obama’s account of his younger self and drugs, though, significantly differs from the recollections of others who do not recall his drug use. That could suggest he was so private about his usage that few people were aware of it, that the memories of those who knew him decades ago are fuzzy or rosier out of a desire to protect him, or that he added some writerly touches in his memoir to make the challenges he overcame seem more dramatic."

Michelle is right.

OK, enought pajama-bloggin' for me this morning.  Got to get on with the day.

Hope you all have a good one--ciao for now. 

Does any know if Lincoln had a sprititual advisor?

When did candidate campaign committees start having sprititual/religious advisory committees?

any know s/b anybody know

seashell~  I'm quite sure Wright said that he and BO never discussed politics...a remark I found strange especially since he was a part of BO's campaign for awhile.

I watched the entire Moyers/Wright interview and he did not say that.

10:03 a.m. EDT 

seashell~  I'm quite sure Wright said that he and BO never discussed politics...a remark I found strange especially since he was a part of BO's campaign for awhile.

What I said in my first comment... I watched the entire Moyers/Wright interview and he did not say that.

I should have said...yesterday on PBS Moyers/Wright didn't discuss the subject of whether Wright and BO did or did not ever discuss politics.

I grew up in GM factory town. My Dad, his brothers and his Dad were all UAW (so was my Mother before she had children). My Grandfather helped to organize and start the union. He was a Longshore man before he started working for GM. UAW had several locals in the area for many years. UAW had to close down their only local shop left last year. Very sad.

The big union hall we all visited for just about activity when I was a child was named after Walter Reuther. It since has been converted into a Christian School.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Reut...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_f...

---

Ronald Regan's spiritual/religious advisor was Billy Graham.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Graha...

ahhh...what is it about that first shower on Saturday morning:)?

"What the formulation suggests to me is that the speaker is somewhat unsure about even stating that a person's skin color is off-putting.  I can understand the hesitation.  However, I think it's important for people to express their fears our loud because that's how we over-come them."<<

I'm afraid your over-thinking/over-analyzing that one, Monica.  Too many Americans, sadly, do not want a black president....how about that?  It is something we need to admit and fight like he!! to conquer.  Already, here in Oakland, the mood is changing, just as Terence Samuels intimated in his remarks that I posted upthread.  People are beginning to believe that Barack will be defeated...the feeling is both despair and seething anger. 

Annilow,

I've visited Denise's area of Calfornia. It is nothing like the bay area. Most of California is not the beach.

Bill Moyers missed a great opportunity to mention all this about Jeremiah Wright except for the Naval cardiopulmonary technician:

From 1959 to 1961, Wright attended Virginia Union University,[1] in Richmond. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's 1961 challenge to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," Wright gave up his student deferment, left college and joined the United States Marine Corps and became part of the 2nd Marine Division with the rank of private first class. In 1963, after two years of service, Wright then transferred to the United States Navy and entered the Corpsman School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he graduated as valedictorian.[8] Having excelled in corpsman school, Wright was then trained as a cardiopulmonary technician at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where he graduated as salutatorian.[8] Wright was assigned as part of the medical team charged with care of President Lyndon B. Johnson (see photo of Wright caring for Johnson after his 1966 surgery). Before leaving the position in 1967, the White House awarded Wright three letters of commendation.

In 1967 Wright enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master’s degree in English in 1969. He also earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School.[8] Wright holds a Doctor of Ministry degree (1990) from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where he studied under Samuel DeWitt Proctor, a mentor to Martin Luther King.

Perhaps PBS used its constraints of Moyers to prevent Wright's many other achievements in life from being aired. PO's me though, whatever the excuse. This is a very large part of Rev. Wright and should not have been ignored.

Too many Americans, sadly, do not want a black president....

cC

I don't know how many "too many" is, but there are certainly some. Looking back at Iowa, which only has a 3% black population, I would guess the number is not very large.

However, a decade ago, a black governor may have been thought of in that way. It is all a part of America growing up and getting past those few who would discriminate against anyone because of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or nationality.

The time has come for the final leap and it will be made in 2008.

GObama

Denise lives in on the peninsula of the BAy Area.  The restaurant, Triptych, is on Folsome Street in San Francisco....she'll be dining less than 1/8th mile from the San Francisco bay.  Her heart, I believe, is in Chicago...but she indeed lives in the bay area.  Denise, please excuse my presumptions about your heart:)

Have a great day, folks...off to ride my bike-been waayyyy too long. 

just saw this.  Joan, even 1 is too many:(

now, really.  Ciao. 

The election is in November.  The last thing we want is for our candidate to peak too soon.  That said

I'm afraid your over-thinking/over-analyzing that one, Monica.  Too many Americans, sadly, do not want a black president....how about that?

This is a rather presumptuous statement.  There's no reason to fear and really no reason to pass judgment on my mental functions, never mind substituting an unsubstantiated generalization about the desires of many Americans. 

Please check back again shortly. 10:16 AM Saturday, April 26, 2008

cC - I can forget about Hillary to an extent but I see noi reason to excuse her lies.   facts matter.

Morning Folks,

Good dialogue as is mostly the norm.  Joan, Bill Moyers did talk about Jeremiah Wright's background, showed pictures of where he was monitoring Lyndon Johnson's blood pressure in the operating room, and he was siezed and his arms twisted behind his back when he left the operating room, let go when someone lowered his face mask and they recognized he was a member of the medical staff.  How awful, how demeaning.  Is there any question why there is anger?

Bill also referred to Wright's masters degree form the University of Chicago, and all his good works.  It wasn't a chronological listing, but most of his biography was mentioned.  In fact, I thought the format was brilliant so that it didn't become a defense of Wright, rather an exposition of his life, his work, his thought, and how deeply he is involved in theology.

One example I thought was wonderful, how God can allow something awful to happen and it can be turned to good.  When the smearing via YouTube of Wright came up, Obama then addressed the issue of race.

I also had the sense of how deeply religious this man is, not a Sunday church goer, not a status seeker, but truly trying to heal the souls and minds of those oppressed, hurt, damaged, and despairing. That's a depth of spirtiuatlity that I think Bill Maher missed last night when he called Jeremiah Wright a dick because Wright pointed out the different audiences of the religion and politics.

Wright's beliefs are his life and he lives them, continues to grow, continues to do the Lord's work as he perceives it.  A real hero in my mind.

So, is Bill Moyers a hero, like Howard Dean, Al Gore, Patrick Leahy, etc., Keith Olbermann and others who have the courage to address the issues, to withstand the prejudice, irrational hatred, and ignorance and continue to believe in the growth and goodness of this country.

One last remark: Hillary and Bill Clinton, in my perception, are enacting the very hypocrisy of White Liberals that minority groups so deeply distrust.  That is, we will garner your support and support you, as long as you aren't in competition with us.  Then we'll lynch you, hard words, but I see that the Clintons will stop at nothing to get what they want.  

As a privileged country, class, group, if anyone should be generous and loving, it should be us (we!), but in actuality few of us have known the kind of suffering the poor, the oppressed, the discriminated against, the neglected, the demeaned have known.

One last last comment.  Just got a call from a cancer foundation.  Would I contribute? No, not until we elect Barack Obama who will change the current situation where now the most needful causes are neglected and diminshed. That's where my money goes now.  

Thank you, Ma'am, I agree with you. 

11:27 AM EDT

a week from today - Guam:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGCjV5/commentary#comments

By Christopher Hass - Apr 25th, 2008 at 8:50 pm EDT

Not to be overlooked, the next nominating contest (and the final caucus) is May 3rd on the island of Guam. As a show of how serious this campaign has taken every contest, and every vote, the Obama for America office in Hagåtña has been up and running for weeks now.

...

Visit GU.BarackObama.com for more news and info from

Good morning!

The "bay area" is a term that encompasses a large area, but I live about one mile from the bay and 20miles from the ocean. Just a short hop over the coastal hills and I'm in heaven (Half Moon Bay)

Lots of water makes for no short cuts when stuck in traffic LOL. Bridges abound.

It is important to note, too, that San Francisco is not the only part of America that has a bay area reference. Maryland comes to mind, as does some parts of Florida (Tampa).

And yes my heart will always be in Chicago. Just like my work ethic which, sad to say, is quite different out here. I've never seen people take so many sick days in my 35 years in the corporate world.

Hi Denise,

My sister-in-law worked for the Justice Dept. in San  Francisco.  She was origianlly from Michigan: they extolled her work ethic.  And, it was quite a work ethic!  We folks from the Heartland did inherit that.  Work and how much of our lives we committed to it was a measure of our identity, our pride, our contribution.