i can't think of a thing to add to this.

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Except... Go. Vote. While we still can.

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This Election Brought To You By...

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In case you hadn't heard, Target (tar-ZHAY) stuck its retail giant toe in the waters stirred up by the Roberts Court with its unfathomable decision in Citizens United v. FEC early this year. It seems the corporation spent $150,000 -- of corporate funds -- on advertising for a pretty outspoken anti-gay, anti-worker candidate in the Minnesota gubernatorial race. What's that mean to you or me? It means that if left unchecked, this decision will turn our electoral system into the next College Bowl or NASCAR Series. Remember when the Sugar Bowl was the Sugar Bowl -- not the USF&G Sugar Bowl? Or before the Southern 500 became the Mountain Dew Southern 500? Well here we have the Target Minnesota Gubernatorial Election. Sure. The people of Minnesota are free to vote for whomever they choose. Realistically? They'll vote for the name that's in their face the most often with the most spin. But setting that aside for a moment, even those who do support the candidate in question lose in this deal. Because guess who's going to ultimately pay for those ads. (Hint: it won't be Target's President, CEO or Board of Directors.) Target's shareholders aren't going to care much for their dividends being cut into like this, so the money's going to have to be made up somewhere. Guess where.

Congress has one avenue left to them to control the damage done by the Citizens United decision. A Constitutional Amendment. They haven't managed to get together on one yet, and given the glacier-like speed at which governments move I wouldn't expect one to surface soon. Happily, there's still one recourse left to the public at large. We can speak directly to the corporations themselves -- and in their native language. We can vote with our feet... and dollars. Like these guys.

But maybe without the singing.

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Sky Watch Friday #9: No Fly Zone

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"No Fly Zone"
Raleigh, NC - October 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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The curve in these contrails shows the edge of a no-fly zone imposed over my city during a rally held by President Elect Obama just the week before the election.
Until someone pointed this out to me, I hadn't given it much thought, but it seems perfectly logical that in the post-9/11 world this would be a standard practice. Or perhaps it was standard even before then. If anyone knows, please... discuss!

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A More Perfect Union

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Had you asked me four years ago, I wouldn't have given a nickel for the chances that America would survive to see the 2008 election. In fact, I'd have given about even odds of the world as a whole surviving to see this day. But here we are only a few hours removed from what can only be called a watershed moment in history. And I'd like to take a moment to thank the people who made it possible.

Obviously without a candidate viable enough to take on the establishment, this race would have been over before it started. In 2004 I wrote that progressives needed to not only win the election, but win it convincingly. Sadly, for many reasons, our future was delayed. But from there, we were able to retool, rebuild and put forth a better candidate for this chance. So I thank President Elect Obama for his fortitude and his unyielding commitment to an ideal of hope.

I thank the countless volunteers who worked tirelessly across the country getting new voters registered, getting registered voters energized and getting all voters to the polls. These nameless ones provided the backbone of this victory and it's on their shoulders that this campaign truly rested.

These are the obvious ones on the list of thank-you's. But there are a couple of other, less obvious ones I want to send out today as well.

I feel that I have to give a lot of credit to John McCain for his concession speech. As nasty as this campaign got at times, he showed a depth of character in defeat that I find encouraging. And if he is sincere about bridging the party gap and working with the new President, he may do the country a bigger service in defeat than he could ever have done in victory. I hope that he and his supporters recognize this opportunity for what it is. A truly non-partisan governance with only the future of the nation as the goal is ... well, it's a bit too optimistic even on this day. But progress is incremental. Progress is generational. And if yesterday is any indication, progress is underway.

And as strange as it may sound (especially coming from me), I want to say thank you to the man responsible for awakening the American electorate from years of ennui and apathy. That could only happen when the country hit bottom, when times became so desperate that the only recourse remaining was to rise up and demand change. It took eight years of disastrous policy decisions, eight years of corruption and greed, eight years of flagrant abuses of power but it finally happened. So Mr. Sitting President, in your own way you have helped make this day possible. By running the country into the ground you have created the phoenix that will rise from the ashes of the opening years of this century and become a stronger, more thoughtful, more peaceful and far more united America.

The campaign is over. But the work is just beginning. Over the last several months we have seen that we -- the people -- can make a difference. We've seen that what we think, what we say, what we do does matter. We have seen and heard and felt the sea change that we have helped to bring about. And even as jaded as I am, I can't suppress the excitement I feel when I look ahead to an America where the dreams of our founding fathers may finally be realized. Because when I look ahead at what can be, what I see is what's described in a document I had almost come to believe didn't mean anything anymore.

When I look ahead, I can see a More Perfect Union.

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We Have Liftoff

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It's finally here. The day we've waited for all these long months. All the sound and fury, all the promises and rhetoric, all the sound bites and snark have come down to this.

You may disagree with my choice. That's your right as an American and as a voter. But I have cast my ballot after carefully considering and researching every race. And I voted my conscience.

And now I'm asking you to do the same, whichever side you're on. I know the weather sucks today. I know there are other things that need doing. I know the lines are probably long.


Do it anyway.

Because no matter the outcome, the winners need to know that we -- the people who elected them -- are paying attention. We're watching. We're going to hold them to the promises they've made. And there's no clearer way to send that message than to get.out.and.vote.

Tomorrow morning we will wake up to a new day. A new chance. No matter who wins the White House or the Senate or House seats that are in play, we have a new chance. But only if we seize this opportunity to put our elected officials on notice. They need to hear this message, clearly and unambiguously.

We. Are. Watching.

We have elected you to represent us. That's how representative democracy works. And it's time you remembered that. You serve at the pleasure of the electorate. Your job is not guaranteed. And if you fail to perform your job in a satisfactory manner, we. will. fire. you. Got it?

So no matter your political color, you owe it to yourself, to your neighbors, to your contry to make your voice heard.

Go vote now. It'll make you feel big and strong.

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My Vote is Rocked - How About Yours?

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Took me 35 minutes total including an (average) 12-minute walk in each direction. The State Board of Elections office is six blocks from where I work, seven blocks from where I park. And let me tell ya, the BOE has got one tight operation going on there. Or maybe "smooth" is a better word. They had a guy out front to give you directions, and whatever other assistance you might need. He even had someone's dog he was watching for her when I came out. No, I'm not kidding.

Inside, it couldn't have been easier. I didn't even have to show the voter registration card I kept trying to show them or the freshly minted driver's license I got two days ago just so I wouldn't get hassled over having an unreadable ID. That was a little bit confusing, but in a good way. They printed out a signature form, gave me a ballot and I studiously copied my carefully researched sample ballot -- which took longer than everything else combined.

When they handed me my ballot, they gave me a verbal and printed notice that voting a straight party ticket did not include the presidential race, so even if I voted a straight party, I still needed to fill in the race for President. (Not that I needed this information since I've never voted straight party in my life).

This couldn't have been much easier. At least not unless I could beam in my vote by telepathy.

So go vote now. It'll make you feel big and strong.

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How I Spent My Wednesday

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In case you weren't here in my hometown yesterday morning and early afternoon, I thought I'd share with you what I got to do. A few of you have already seen this slide show (click below), but I've added a couple of things since I initially told you about it.

And by 1:00 pm yesterday I had learned three new things:

1. Barack Obama is one helluva orator who connects with his audience in a way I don't think I've ever seen.
2. If you get the chance to hear/see him speak live, do it!
3. If you ever feel the urge to photograph Secret Service agents, do not do it.

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"Change We Need"
Raleigh, NC - October 2008 (Click for Slideshow)

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Educate Yourself - Vote Smart

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So up comes November in a leap year and there you are in the voting booth. You've been watching the debates, keeping up with the news, you may have even kept an eye on the legislators from your district to see if their votes resemble what yours would have been. Good for you! You're an educated voter.

Or are you?

Let's see...
President - check. Everybody's pretty well informed on this race.
US Senate - check. Maybe you're not quite as in tune with this one as the Presidential election, but you know who your Senators are.
US House - check? Who's your Representative in the US House? Do you know how they've voted for the last 2 years?
Governor - Umm... yeah, check.

But how many times have you gotten past these "headliners" and found yourself asking "Who are these people?" Or, "Commissioner of Agriculture? What's he do?" County commissioners, city council members, judges, commissioners, the list is dizzying.

And yet, these elections are as important to your day-to-day life as any of the big ones. Because it's these people who will impact you and those around you the most directly every single day. But these "opening acts" in the election circus are more often than not won on simple name recognition. The candidate with the most yard signs in place wins. And that's a little scary, because this is the foot of the ladder of power in this country. This is where the next John McCain or Barack Obama will come from.

The good news is that you don't have to toss a coin. You can almost certainly obtain a sample ballot for the next election with all of the races and all of the candidates. And once you know who's running for what, you can research the candidates for all of the offices.

If you're one of my neighbors here in North Carolina, I've already done the first step for you. (If you live in one of the other 49 states, you're on your own.) The NC State Board of Elections has a complete sample ballot for the 2008 General Election in PDF format available on the web here. There's a sample ballot for each Congressional District, so you'll need to know which district is yours. (Psst. Its on your voter registration card.) If you don't know which district you're in and can't find your voter registration card, you can find that information on the SBOE site too.

And now that you know who's running for what, there's a good starting point for researching the candidates available from PBS affiliate WUNC-TV's website. This isn't a comprehensive site detailing the careers of all the candidates, but it's a good introduction to all of them. What I like about this site is that there's no opponent bashing allowed. The candidates are allowed a brief statement about why they feel they're the best qualified applicant. And you can learn a lot about where a candidate stands just from these. With this limited space, they're forced to distill all the rhetoric into a simple statement about what's important to them. What tidbits were important enough to make the cut? Whose names are they dropping? Once you have this information in hand, you can figure out if the record matches the rhetoric.

There are still a few weeks left to figure it all out. But take the time. This may very well be the most important election of my generation's lifetime. And by extension, that makes it important to the next generation. And at the risk of sounding alarmist, it may actually determine if there's a generation after that one.

This is important stuff people. So educate yourself. Vote Smart.

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Congratulations Miami, FL! You are my 5,000th customer!

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Oct 7 2008 11:48:18 am (And I think I may know who this is actually... Tiff? Was that you?)

(Update: Yeah, it was Tiff of No Accent Yet. First time I've been able to identify a landmark visitor. So go... say hi or something.)

When I started tracking statistics in mid-June of this year, I had no idea this blog would attract so many diverse and wonderful readers. But in just a few short months (just under 4) 5,000 of you have stopped by to see, to read, and best of all to comment.

I am awed. Humbled even.

So this is as much your landmark as it is mine. 'Cause I couldn't have done it without you.

So yeah... thanks for this.

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"Fireworks over Atlantic Beach"
Atlantic Beach, NC - July 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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Anyway, with all these terrific people stopping by all the time it occurs to me... when you get people's attention like this, once in a while you should probably say or do something that matters.

So two things I want to pass on to ya. First off, go over and check out my sidebar. Yeah, right there at the top. That's it, the BlogBlast for Peace link. You have a chance to speak up yourself, along with thousands of others. And it couldn't get a whole lot simpler than getting aboard that train. One post, on one day... and it doesn't even have to be a big, grand, eloquent thing. So check it out. And then do it. And get your friends who blog to do it too. Seriously.

Next thing I want to encourage you to do is... Well I'll let these guys tell you.

If this keeps up I might start thinking I could have an impact on... oh I dunno... something.Stumble This!

Debate Party Update: We Have Party Favors!

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Another blog friend sent me this link just in time for the Debate Party tonight at Smarmoofus Spot. If you're a McBush McCheney McCain supporter, you probably don't want one, but otherwise these "Pinocchio Bingo Cards" will make a great party favor. (And best of all they're free! How often do you get that during a political campaign?)

So grab your cards and play along if you like, but either way join us for what promises to be a very entertaining and informative event.

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Party at Smarmoofus' Place!

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If you're one of the eight who attended Smoofus's Vice Presidential Debate Party, you know what a great hostess she is. And she's doing it again tomorrow night for the second faceoff between the Presidential contenders. No reason to think this time will be any less entertaining -- or informative. So come on along and join us won't you?

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