tattoo empek empek

January 30, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Mary Pearson: (916) 441–6197 or Email: mary@MoveAmericaForward.org

MARINES ATTACKED
IN BERKELEY, CA

City Calls Marines “Unwelcome Intruders”

SAN FRANCISCO – The City of Berkeley, California has passed two resolutions attacking the United States Marine Corps, calling the Marines, “uninvited and unwelcome intruders in the city.”

The Berkeley City Council voted to condemn the Marines on Tuesday night (January 29th) as part of a campaign by anti-war activists to shut down a U.S. Marine Recruiting Center located in the city of Berkeley.

The votes by the Berkeley City Council were immediately condemned by Move America Forward (website: www.MoveAmericaForward.org), the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization.

“It is disgraceful that in the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, anti-military activists would attempt to silence the same military men and women who serve this country and give their lives to protect the free speech rights of all Americans, including these ungrateful and despicable people on the Berkeley City Council,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward.

The actions by the Berkeley City Council followed continuous protests by Code Pink and other anti-military organizations that vandalized and defaced the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center in September 2007.

One of the two resolutions passed by the Berkeley City Council last night granted a parking spot in front of the Marine Recruiting Center to be used by anti-military activists to harass Marine recruiters. The anti-military activists would not need to apply for a sound permit for the next six months – allowing them free reign to disrupt the day-to-day operations by the Marines.

Move America Forward organized a counter-protest in support of the Marines last October that attracted over 400 pro-troop supporters who stood in solidarity of the Marine Recruiting Center.

“We have hundreds of thousands of military men and women serving honorably overseas to protect our freedoms. Imagine how they feel when they go to turn on the news and see that they are being stabbed in the back by shameful people here at home, it’s disgraceful!” said Catherine Moy, Executive Director of Move America Forward.

This release posted at: http://www.moveamericaforward.org/index.php/MAF/MAFNews

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Exponential effects of immigration. It is already happening in our country, yet people turn a blind eye. Most of us, unless employed in a field of business that deals directly with illegal, or legal immigrants, don’t grasp the effect. Heck, most of the sheeple out there don’t even truly understand the meaning of the word EXPONENTIAL.

EXPONENTIAL: characterized by or being an extremely rapid increase. For those of you that cannot grasp that true definition, I will say it in the “new school” abbreviation that most modern text message types do understand. EXPONENTIAL: WTF! There, do you get it? Another simple parable (yes, for the simple minded, logic is now a parable), is that 2+2 = 4. That too, I think most understand. If you STILL cannot understand, think of this. You normally cook dinner each night for your average 2 to 6 people, depending on your age or how large your family is. If tomorrow, you had to cook dinner for 12 to 30 people it would be like your yearly Christmas party. It would be doable, but a real chore and expensive. If you had to cook dinner for 12-30 people for five days in a row, could you do it? If those same 12-30 people came to your house naked and it snowed a foot overnight, could you go to Wal-Mart on sale day and buy clothes for all of them? What if they stayed at your house? If all 30 came down with the flu, and you too became sick, could you afford to take all of those 30 people with no insurance to the doctor, and then pay too for the prescription antibiotics at your local pharmacy? Within ONE DAY, these guests would bankrupt your household.

If you still do not understand…maybe you like gumballs. Maybe the colorful display of simple gumballs will perhaps get you to fathom EXPONENTIAL. Take nine mere minutes of your miserable misguided lives to watch gumballs in action. FATHOM THE EFFECTS OF EXPONENTIAL!

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ATTENTION AMERICAN WOMEN: If you might suffer from Hillary Ambivalence Syndrome, have no fear, there is a new drug for you. You can be cured. This drug will also ease the symptoms of the rawness and itching that has been occurring in your anal region due to the load of hype that has been repeatedly shoved up your private cavity during this presidential campaign. Do your self a favor and take less than two minutes to find out how you can once again become a normal member of a sane society.

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The State of The Union is CONSPIRACY. I’ve held off forever probably on writing a rant like this, but tonight, I realize that I cannot be quiet any longer. The state of our nation has truly come down to conspiracy. The only thing I can’t figure out is WHO or WHAT is leading it specifically. But, I do know this…if we as a people of USA cannot get a grip on it, we are headed for doom, and doom at the hands of those that have been given the honor to stop it, but were to gluttonous to do so.

I think that if you are “stuff enough” to be President, you should have the ability to talk from the cuff, and even with notes that are necessary in a long speech or debate, you should be able to at least do that for yourself if you are President. But, we all know that Presidents, talk show hosts, actors, etc. do have speech writers. Where has the guy been for the last couple of years that wrote President Bush’s speech tonight? You’re high if you didn’t realize that tonight; George Bush made a good speech. It was as if a new man was born, and a light was fired off again in his eyes, in his mannerisms and within his heart.

Oh but wait…it was his last great speech. It was the last State of the Union (SOTU) speech of his presidential career. But, it was a speech of the man that won 7 years ago. But, as he spoke, I looked between the lines. I reminisced. I thought back to an earlier time, much earlier. I remembered a great man, the man that raised me as my father. My old Papa Bill was a man of great stature, but a man of few words. He was a Democrat. He though, was an OLD SCHOOL Democrat. As a grown woman, I am a Republican, and as far fetched as it seems, the things my Papa Bill taught me were conservative beliefs, and the things that make sense. Is it possible that many many years ago Democrats were actually Republicans? Or was it that many years ago, common sense was the rule, and it was mere petty differences that created the dividing line between political parties. My Papa Bill was born in the year 1898, he met President William Taft, it was a highlight of his life, and a favorite story. (If you actually read from the link, you will see that in that day, the country was divided amongst “Progressives & Conservatives”). Basically, at one time we were all Conservative, just a few with some different ideas, not a bad thing. Roosevelt is considered a great man, and he was, but Taft was a fair debater to him. In the end, Taft held a much different and “lower” place on the totem pole, and loved his job after politics so much that in his own words, “I barely remembered I was President”. Imagine a man with the true leadership and non-arrogance to admit that today!

As I listened to the SOTU tonight, I watched the faces around the room. Dick Cheney had great respect on his face. Nancy Pelosi sat there in her nice little purple outfit and had disgust on her face a lot, but when she thought appropriate, she smiled, or stood, or clapped. She chewed on her lip (or was eating Tic Tacs or something). Hilary Clinton wore a VERY RED dress, which is apropos for the WITCH she is. She was void of emotion. She was the epitome of the C that she just is. You just cannot deny your own humanity. The woman is just a narcissistic blob riding on the coattails of a man that cheated on her more than once with women that thought that blowing a man in a suit would some how better their own narcissistic place in the world; they just didn’t have the money to catch a real man on successful terms of their own.

It wasn’t an accident that Barack Obama was seated next to Ted Kennedy. But did you see their body language just evolve into a story of its own? Ted Kennedy hasn’t remained in Congress longer than dirt for no reason. He’s smart! Smart enough to listen. Smart enough to read and take notes! He is truly one that keeps his friends close, and his enemies closer, takes notes to see whose ass he needs to kiss next. Another narcissistic criminal from a family that sold its soul to the Devil long ago to gain acquiescence to power and wealth. Any decent member of that family has been met with untimely death, the others just covered up untimely death. Barack Obama is so far a really nice guy. He’s a liberal, but one I believe still thinking that he can make a difference, because he’s been schooled by people that he believes to be correct. He CAN make a difference. However, if he follows down the road, even the road to the Presidency, he will fail the nation. He won’t fail the nation to the catastrophic degree Hilary Clinton will, but he will fail us all. He is young, he doesn’t know yet, but even in his eyes tonight, I saw a young man intent. I saw a man soaking it all in, and concentrating on matters at hand. Even if he is on the wrong path, I don’t believe he’s on an intentionally personal evil path, but the snakes have already bitten him, and he’s poisoned, but still savable. Evil is all over Hilary, apocalypse is what I see when I look at her.

My point in this rant is the sadness I see in our nation’s current demise, and the obvious trend toward conspiracy. My Papa Bill unknowingly gave me my interest in politics. He raised me to care. He sat as a poor farmer in his “big chair” and made me watch TV any time the President spoke. A President’s speech in that day was BIG. No show, NO “Survivor”, NO “Desperate Housewives”, NO “American Idol”, NO “Superbowl”, NO “Ed Sullivan”, NO SHOW was more important than the NEWS, or a time that the PRESIDENT spoke! In that day, you could look around that same room that all members were in tonight, and it was OBVIOUS that ALL were HONORED to be there. No one was honored to be there tonight. They all acted like they were “bothered” by it all. They were more concerned with their own little petty personal gains than they were with giving the people they were elected by the time of day. WTF?

Even when members of Congress stood and clapped…did you notice early in the speech that noticeably exactly HALF the room stood, and the other did not? Do you think that’s coincidental? It’s not. The media could have reported that the President spoke a good speech, they didn’t. I see a FOUR WAY conspiracy going on. I think I didn’t see it until it may have been too late. When did this country become so damn divided? It’s all become about WINNING, not SOLUTIONS?

Even the woman, Kathleen Sebelius, that gave the Democrat’s response to the SOTU speech, said that no longer is our Government asking what we can do for our country, but they are not asking anything of us at all! What a crock of shit is she trying to shove down your throat? Our government is not asking anything of you because if you are limp and disinvolved you are easier to control! If your government doesn’t require you to clean your room, do your laundry, or reconcile your bank account, they have you. If you never have any consequences as a result of your non-behavior, you’ll never be the wiser when you are only given what they say you can have and can only do when they say you can do it. Am I the only one that sees this coming?

The media immediately after the SOTU speech was spinning it all negative. It doesn’t matter who says what, or what happens in this world today, the media immediately starts telling us how BAD IT IS. The MEDIA is part of the CONSPIRACY!

FOUR PARTS… (1) Narcissistic Government (YOU ELECT & DON’T HOLD ACCOUNTABLE), (2) BIG HUGE CORPORATIONS (from any industry) that donate to politicians in order to gain favor and keep their own profits high (3) DIRECT UNDERLINGS OF CORPORATIONS AND LOBBYISTS that get their way with GOVERNMENT because they gave donations, but KNOWINGLY FUCKED the rest of us because their plans were failure from the beginning, but sounded cool, and THESE FOLKS eventually NEED TO and creatively CAN SWEEP IT under the rug and convince YUPPY WALL STREET GEEKS AND “FINANCIAL EXPERTS” GOOD AT BAD MATH that the “plan must go on”, so financial professionals just invent more creative financial bullshit to make it all “work out” … and finally and the WORST OF ALL, part 4, that’s FOUR, and (oddly enough when typing on a keyboard, the number 4 when shift keyed is $), (4) THE MEDIA…THE LAST BASTION, THE FOLKS THAT ARE LEFT TO TELL US ALL HOW IT IS…The media is lying to us all, the media is held to what their advertisers are dictating to them to tell.

The MEDIA tells us the “NEWS”. If it bleeds, it sells. If it really happened, it will probably convict someone in a place of power or wealth. It USED TO BE if it REALLY HAPPENED, it was something to be proud of. Not any more, we don’t publicize anything POSITIVE. If it’s good, and if it makes sense, it’s now boring.

We must kill the conspiracy. The negative, the fear mongering, the doom to “the people” when a few cannot gain because they might have to “give” of their time or a few of their dollars. This nation has become a nation that ONLY GIVES to those who cannot GIVE BACK. As I’ve always said…the HELPLESS will always deserve help. The helpless can NEVER hurt you. But, our nation expands the help to the helpless, or what I call the “NOT-less” to the extreme. It’s been the doing of the powerful for decades. Somewhere, somehow, those that gave to the helpless felt that they were spending honorable dollars at the expense of themselves and their own arrogant needs. DEMOCRATS!

So, they had to get even. Today, they are willing to spend billions to hold the little guys accountable for what was supposed to be a helping hand. They do the math. Folks, 2+2 will ALWAYS EQUAL FOUR! As long as any of you that think you are the “little guy” buy into the doom and gloom, and sign onto an interest only home loan, or don’t take your own lives into your own hands, or go to a “paycheck loan” store, you get what you deserve. If you actually BELIEVE that whenever the “GOVERNMENT” is “GIVING YOU SOMETHING”, that it isn’t going to eventually spiral down into the RESULT OF YOUR GIFT, or realize that IT COSTS YOU MORE THAN YOU WERE GIVEN, then you are a MORON.

Our state of affairs right now is bad. However, it’s not yet so bad that it is not fixable. HOWEVER…people have to open their eyes and be able to know the difference between a wolf, and a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You know, I’ve always been one that didn’t particularly like to talk politics, or government. But I find myself more and more talking to average people about it, because I feel the need to help. I NEVER try to initiate political conversation, but others do. When they do, if they are STUPID, I will kindly express my point of view conservatively. So many times, I’m more and more shocked that a simple 2+2 conversation with someone that doesn’t really know what’s going on will cause them to shake their heads, or say, “Really?..UnUunh! For Real? “ YEAH PEOPLE, IT’S ALL FOR REAL. WakeTF up!

Kill negative media. I would pay my tax dollars to make the NEWS portion of any media center to be a non-profit like it used to be. I’d put up with all the other “reality” shows, the “celebrity gossip”, movies, and sit-coms and all, just make the news the TRUTH, and let the other departments of any television conglomerate carry the news room on the P&L as a given, just like rent, or the electric bill. Making news stations FOR PROFIT organizations has taken away the truth.

I’d gladly spend my TAX DOLLARS to promote an entire station that just televised GOOD NEWS. Imagine that! An entire network that WAS ONLY ALLOWED to report on good things. The economy, the politics, the entire view of America would get back to what it used to be.

CONSPIRACY! It’s real! It’s inevitable! I JUST WANT TO KNOW THIS? What dumb ass that originally invented conspiracy decided that conspiracy would be better on the bad side than it would have been to the side of GOOD? If ANY PEOPLE wanted to be truly rich beyond end, and if ANY PEOPLE wanted a thriving economy, and if ANY PEOPLE TRULY wanted to be omnipotent and all powerful, then they would CONSPIRE to be GOOD! Goodness, Kindness, Honesty, Equality, Truth, Loyalty, and Honor create SUCCESS…

Just ask God. These people in “high places” that are trying to be God and CONTROL THE WORLD AT OUR EXPENSE are forgetting one little tiny thing. The little tiny thing has many words to describe normal and tiny: God, kindness, honesty, balance, fair, majority vote, earned profit, ambivalence… DUH!

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Well, Fred Thompson has backed out of the Presidential race. He ran a good campaign, and I believe that he would have made a great President. Fred is a solid guy, and still has a lot to offer our nation.

Since Fred has withdrawn, then so too must I withdraw my personal endorsement, not of the man, but of the campaign. Therefore a vacancy is left to fill. At this moment in time, I will endorse and vote for Mitt Romney if he’s given the nomination.

The reason I supported Fred Thompson in the first place was because I felt he was the truest Conservative among the candidates running, and even more than that, I ALWAYS BELIEVED HE’D TELL ME EXACTLY HOW IT REALLY WAS. My second choice has always been Mitt Romney, and he won large in the Nevada caucus. The reasons I now support him are because obviously, he’s the strongest Conservative left in the race. That’s a given.

The MAIN and lasting reason I support him is because he has business experience. I am a small business owner. I have just over 20 employees. I TRULY KNOW how difficult it can be to add 2 + 2 and make it stretch to the needed 4 sometimes. Making a payroll, spending in just the right amounts of money to be marketed properly and still show a profit is difficult. There is NO OPTION FOR DEFICIT in a small business. If you run out of money, there is NO ONE to bail you out, you just close the doors and get a job for someone that did it better than you did. It’s hard to try your best to do what is right for all two dozen families involved sometimes, and still hear the rumblings and talk behind your back when a few think you are unfair. It’s hard to be taken advantage of sometimes, yet still support the ones that make your business work and prosper. It’s hard to try and teach those that don’t know or understand that the decisions you make are always geared toward their best interest, even sometimes when you have to say NO. It’s hard to want to reward heavily the ones that go so far above and beyond yet still remain on that fair side of the fence that makes you know you cannot do for one what you cannot spread evenly among all.

We need a man that can look at the nation’s P&L and spot the errors as if they jump off the page at you. We need a man strong enough to fix that badly broken Washington P&L, and one that doesn’t think that there are not a LOT OF US out here that can also dissect a P&L with precision and detect creative accounting as opposed to a solid profit center. Who knows if Mitt Romney will do that any more than any politician ever fulfills his promises when elected? After all, it’s really the Congress that runs the country, one man; one President’s hands are often tied by bickering politicians that guard their own power and success more than they regard the lives of the people they “govern”. However, at least Romney has the business credentials to really do it if he wants to, and hopefully he’ll take his business prowess to Washington and act like a real boss and FIRE the few that hold back the many from forward progress. It’s really simple; the numbers don’t lie; only people do.

I’d like to also say this. If Mitt Romney should find himself holding the nomination, and would like to make his first move one by the people and for the people, I don’t think he could find a more fitting candidate for his Vice President than Fred Thompson. I’d like to know that Fred will be up there somewhere in Washington watching our collective backs.

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In honor of the late great Martin Luther King, I have just a few words to say, but I feel sure that in heaven, Mr. Martin Luther King would salute me as I would salute him back.

I was not old enough to really participate or fully understand his work in his day, but I’ve certainly been made aware as my years grew. Martin Luther King was a great American and did great things for civil rights. Right or wrong, I have my own ideas of Mr. King. I have a picture of the whole King family. I think another great American was Coretta Scott King, God rest her soul. Behind every good man is a great woman, and no doubt, part of Martin Luther’s strength he derived from his great wife Coretta and the love for his children.

I believe that if Martin Luther King could be alive today, we wouldn’t be hearing one thing about how the greater black American vote went to Obama or Hillary. I don’t think Martin Luther King would want to know about how many black people were given this or that.

I believe that Martin Luther King truly did have a dream, and it was equality. I believe that conservative Americans see that equality. I believe that in any issue, in any election, in any place…if we wanted to honor Dr. King, we would do it by not having to ever play the race card again. You either vote for someone or you don’t. You are either qualified for a job or you are not. Black people are as qualified to vote as white people. Black people can be or not as qualified for any job as white people are qualified or are not.

When I need to have a job done, when I vote for a candidate, when I meet someone in a store, or I go to a place of business to purchase a product, or get a service, as long as the job is done, as long as the person at the store can help me and educate me as to the product I want to buy, I could care less about the color of their skin. It’s only when the task at hand is NOT accomplished that I get irritated. And even when I am irritated, it’s only because I went somewhere for one task, and it did not get accomplished, period.

As goes with prejudice. Nobody’s ever irritated with anyone who just does what they are supposed to do, is kind, and is a good citizen. It’s only when folks fail that others begin to judge. We are a nation of patience, and you really have to be a total fuck up not to meet the bar in today’s nation. Have a job, pay your bills, and be honorable to your family. It’s not that hard. No matter what color you are. If you cannot get a job, it’s one of two things…you aren’t trying, or you didn’t try in school. School is free, it’s the “fun” you had while blowing off school that ends up expensive. And that crosses NO COLOR LINES.

If we can just get past skin color and realize that idiots and geniuses live on every color line and every race line, then we can again become the nation that is the greatest on earth. But ONLY when we are each willing to identify our own idiots. And, we must all be able to see between that fine line between the helpless and the unwilling. Helpless people will always need help and deserve help. Unwilling types must be kicked to the curb to either learn how to be willing, get up and become viable, or be left to extinguish because they are able but won’t try. Humans are only unlike animals in that way…we don’t leave the intelligent and unwilling kicked to the curb. We coddle them, and it’s becoming our demise. Animals know the difference and without question they make the choice. Until we have another leader that knows the difference, we’ll continue to wallow in the quagmire of mediocrity. I don’t care what color you are, mediocrity will lead to failure. Cream always rises to the top folks, no matter what color the cream churns out to be. Let’s all just concentrate on churning our cream shall we? Happy Birthday Martin Luther King.

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Well, I did it. I’m still not sure if I went to a “caucus”, or if I went to my precinct’s designated polling place “to caucus”. I did learn the definition of the word though. Caucus, is a fancy word for cluster*!+%. And, I suppose depending on one’s imagination, the word cluster*!+% could also be considered a noun or a verb, just as the word “caucus” is considered both :) Now, I can only speak for my particular precinct, and those I witnessed around me. I was both surprised and pleased though at the massive turnout. I really thought more would not show up, and who knows what the real election would look like if everyone had to turn up all at the same time, that’s not happened here in over 20 years.

I said in my rant of last evening prior to this “voting” day that I would attend this process and that I would report back as fairly and objectively as I could, based on what I viewed from both sides, and how this new experience affected me. If you wish to not read the rest of the story, let me say this to you. DO NOT EVER VOTE FOR CHANGING YOUR STATE’S PROCESS FROM PRIMARY TO CAUCUS.

The procedure per say was fairly painless except for the CHAOS. There were more folks at McQueen High School today than I’ve ever seen parked in that lot at a play-off football game when my son played there. Traffic was at a stand still, and lines were long. I’m a patient sort, so I can live through that sort of thing. I was concerned more about what would happen when I actually got inside. By the way, the rumors of locking the doors after 9:05 were false. It would have been impossible. Ya can’t lock the doors when hundreds of folks are still walking through them. So for folks like me that have a real hard time being anywhere at 9:00am, it was OK to be fashionably late. However, I was back in my car and almost home at 10:45.

There was more professionalism and organization in the elections we had for student council in high school. I’m not sure if my “precinct’s leader” was pre-designated or ended up like some others that I heard of. Some said that the first few in a precinct that arrived, were chosen as leaders and took it from there. By the time I got to my special place, the leader had begun and was struggling along like the rest of us. I kid you not, while this photo is not of my leader, it was another precinct meeting in the same place. I saw a LOT of “leaders” and “co-leaders” reading the rules as they went along. So was it in my precinct. Our precinct though got some of it backwards, but to no harm I suppose of the outcome of the whole process.

My group fell into the high school cafeteria space. I don’t know the exact number, but I would say probably nine or so precincts were assigned to the cafeteria. Some poor soul from each precinct was holding up a white piece of paper with the precinct number on it…for a LONG TIME. These poor people had aches and pains and burns in their bodies from holding the signs up so long, people had to take turns. If you did not bring your “invitation card” with you, and did not know your precinct number, you were pretty well screwed. There were so many people in this cafeteria that you could not stand without physically touching someone on all four sides of your body. It was about 35* here this morning, so everyone also had on coats and scarves. It got hot really quickly, and folks prone to irritability with a lack of patience were very irritated and impatient. If you had to find your precinct, it was a mission of trial and error to walk through the crowd to find each leader of each precinct and see if your name was on the list. Many not healthy enough to stand in a heavy crowd, or too disgusted to deal with it just left. But as more left, more came in. It was an astronomical impossibility to keep track of the people.

The caucus leader had a packet. His packet was a 12”x14” envelope in which held the rules to caucus, “ballots”, and delegate & “chairman” forms. He also had a white 8”x10” envelope, in which to hold the completed ballots. However, they were not called ballots, they were called Nevada GOP Presidential Preference Poll Ballots. How do I have this photo? Well, they were left laying around on the tables at the end, so I took one, knowing that at least one of them would not be used for ill intent. Who knows about the others. The leaders’ white envelopes were not even the kind that licked and sticked, he merely was given a large paper clip to place over the flap when we were done.

Our particular precinct ended up unfortunately at the back of the cafeteria by the door. We got caught by all the traffic rushing by to try and get to their place. I think we were all so baffled by the process, we just tried to do it right. There wasn’t much “talk” or “caucusing” going on with us. All of us came there knowing who we were going to vote for, so there weren’t many “speeches”. I did see other precincts though really getting into that process, where when asked, several wanted to speak about why they believed in their candidate of choice. I doubt anybody came there so undecided that some “Joe Blow’s” speech changed their minds one way or another. However, I listened to some of them, and it was intriguing, and a good experience. It’s amazing how some average folks can be really well spoken when put on the spot.

Basically though, all anybody wanted to do was fill out the ballot and go. No one knew what to do after they spent their one second to check the box next to their candidate. We had one really knowledgeable lady in our precinct named Victoria (she rightfully got nominated for the TWO year position of “chairperson” of our precinct) that took the bull by the horns. She went among other precincts and finally found someone “in the know”, and an announcement was made to all precincts that if you did not want to be involved in the delegate election and chair election following, you WERE ALLOWED to just fill out your “Presidential Preference Poll” and go. Boy, did the place clear out FAST! You should have seen the mass movement of humans like scurrying cockroaches slithering toward the one door. It was a blessing though, at last some breathable air and room to actually move or sit for some.

I wasn’t about to leave. As I saw all the people leaving, I saw the various little white envelopes of the “leaders” lying about while they were reading the rules to see what to do next. I saw some folks just so happy to get out of the crowd, they just stuck their ballots in whatever white envelope they passed first. So, some precincts got a couple of extra ballots in them, and since we didn’t sign them, they were only numbered…no one will ever be the wiser. Who knows what happens to little white envelopes when several hundred people leave in a two minute mass exodus? But my leader did a great job. He was well spoken, and kind, and distinguished looking. He had a tam hat on, a suit…the cashmere jacket look, and a black mustache and beard. He looked just like a college professor, and made us all feel “safe”. I stayed, I wanted to see what this caucus stuff was all about…after all…I got up EARLY on Saturday morning, so I was going to stick it out.

Our fearless leader referred back to his neon green or yellow rule sheet that was double side printed. He read verbatim from it and we all listened. There were maybe 20 or so of us left, maybe more. The rule sheet said that our precinct must elect delegates. Delegates? What delegates? What does a delegate have to do? No one knew. The only thing we knew for sure is that the chosen delegates must attend the Washoe County Republican Convention on Saturday, March 15^th, 2008. The opinion is, that when the ballots are counted from our precinct, that the eight delegates our precinct is allowed (that’s a lot, some get one or two) will go to the convention to represent the people on the candidate chosen. I raised my hand. Only eight of us raised our hand. So, the leader read from the rules that one is allowed to nominate and vote for themselves, so if we are allowed eight, and eight jumped in, then if we all vote for ourselves, we’re done! So I nominated and voted for myself and won a delegate position at the county convention on March 15^th.

I asked if I would vote on behalf of the precinct on who actually won, or would, say the top three get a delegate or two, or do the delegates go to the next convention and vote for the candidate of their personal choice? No one knew. I filled out my official delegate form, with my phone number, address, and e-mail address. I Googled it, Google doesn’t know either. However, I do know that I believe in our democratic system, and even when it’s less than perfect, somebody needs to represent the people honestly. That’s why I raised my hand. I will be notified by an official person as to what my delegate duties are. Whatever the Republican Party of Nevada sets forth as rules, I will follow them 100%. I was hanging around looking at the leader’s white envelope mostly to see if we get to break out the ballots and see who won. Usually when you vote, you just leave. A machine counts them. But in the old days, people actually sat together and counted paper ballots…I was hoping to get to do that once, since we were all told that “caucusing” was much more personal, like an old town hall meeting. I’m good at that sort of thing, I’ve been involved in lots of paper vote elections on small scale. I was told that we DON’T count them. They would be delivered to the appropriate place, and I saw the paper, that’s what it said.

The idea is that when the county convention comes, then a few less delegates are elected to travel to the State convention. Then, a few less are elected to represent Nevada at the National Convention. I’m sure my caucus experience will end at the County convention, however it would be so interesting to keep on and see how the end result works. At age 45, I’d like to see it through, but I’m sure at next levels, people more in the know and much more into the process will prevail. Hopefully in the mean time I will gain more knowledge and will be contacted by all involved. I will do the best I can to represent my precinct and neighborhood. I believe that the guy that was my leader is a good guy. But, how do we really know that what “somebody” tells us is the real deal? We did not sit together and determine the real winner for our own precinct. We did not “touch” the little white envelope. I have to rely on the fact that some really “seemingly” nice guy, and gal that helped him are honest and above board. They seemed to be, but how do you know when you meet a stranger in a suit? He could have thrown the white envelope out the window of his car and went to IHOP for breakfast, we’d never know. There are big gaps in the Nevada GOP caucus process.

I did not vote for the man that won today. However, he was my second choice. But what is most important to me is the knowledge that I have gained so far. There are no laws that I have been given notice of governing a caucus. I’ve heard that delegates are not legally bound to vote for the person they originally represented in the caucus. The doors are wide open for “Tom-Foolery”. However, it is what it is, and what’s done is done. Even if my precinct voted for a man that I despised, as a delegate if required to, I would represent the people. That is the true meaning of a democracy. People vote. You have to be OK with losing the same way you have to be OK with winning. Good luck to the GOP. Some may not like the story that follows, but I just had an in depth conversation with one of my Democratic employees, and BOY…DID HE HAVE A DIFFERENT STORY OF HIS CAUCUS EXPERIENCE. If my caucus would have gone like his, I might have an entirely different opinion of the whole caucus process.

I'm not the only one that found the caucus difficult. See these links...

Reno Gazette Journal

KOLO TV Channel 8

REPUBLICANS…PLEASE GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER SO THAT I DON’T HAVE TO WRITE ANOTHER STORY GIVING THE LIBS CREDIT! I am what I am, but I will not be silent when the opposition deserves credit. Read on my friends. Perhaps the Democrats in Nevada didn’t derive cluster*!+% from their day at caucus. Thanks to the Reno Gazette Journal for the photos I got from their site.

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OK, I went to my GOP caucus today. I mentioned a huge crowd and a lot of confusion. Not only did we have a big chaos going on, but if a thousand or so folks due to a meeting at 9:00am is not bad enough, try the thought of having a few more thousand Democrats coming to their meeting at 11:00 right after. I was almost home when I noticed the time at about 10:45. Mass traffic and conflicts. Not to mention that the Dems got to sleep late. These folks were coming in all dressed up, chatty and WAY TO HAPPY. They thought it was a birthday party or something. Guess what though, I don’t know if enthusiasm and crazy behavior leads to sanity or not, but from the detailed account I heard, in addition to what I saw at my own polling place, our GOP hats ought to be off to the bleeding hearts when it comes to a caucus.

Republicans seem to be a much more level headed bunch than fired up Democrats. While our caucus was chaotic and I think not well organized, we all dealt with it, and I believe under the circumstances for a first caucus, we did the best we could. Republicans aren’t a giddy and excited bunch. We’ve all pretty much done our homework, know who we want to vote for, and get it done…usually when we have the opportunity to do so. 2008 proved to be strange for the GOP. I found my caucus scattered and crazy, yet civil and quiet. We accomplished the task at hand, but I’m not so sure in the right manner. Read my rant about it.

I respect the views of differing opinions. I like to know what all sides are doing so that I can form an objective opinion of what I believe to be right. One of my employees gave me an in depth “interview”, if you will, as to his experience of the Democratic Nevada caucus. He was on the Moon, and I obviously was on Mars as far as I can tell.

I read and studied. This was Nevada’s first caucus in over 20 years. Nobody knew what it really was, but in studying, you could get a fair idea. According to Webster’s Dictionary, it meant that folks gathered together and discussed things. Caucus meant that we would all talk about what we thought, and come to some common ground and decide what would be. It wasn’t that way at my caucus in the GOP. Our caucus was good, I’m glad I went…but I still left a bit confused, and I was chosen (more so volunteered) to be a delegate to the upcoming County Convention. Don’t get me wrong, I left my GOP caucus feeling like I participated in something important and left going forward to represent my precinct as a delegate to the next process to learn even more, and to represent my neighbors properly at the next step. I thought what I experienced was the way it was…until I talked to my employee that caucused at a Democrat caucus.

In his caucus across town, they met and signed in. He was in a gymnasium of a local high school, the same way I was in a cafeteria of another high school. Several precincts also met in his gym. 127 people were in his precinct voting area. THEY were given TWO ballots. One blue ballot and one red. It was explained to them that if you KNEW who you were voting for, and even if not, vote BLUE. In order for a candidate to be considered viable with 127 folks in attendance, there must be 20 votes for that candidate.

The votes were counted. Obviously Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton faired well over 20. AND, there was an “undecided” box to check on their ballot. The GOP ballot did not have that. After votes were counted, it was determined between which candidates did not have 20 votes, therefore they were considered not “viable”. Then, the precinct citizens discussed and talked, and tried to sway others to their side. If you voted on the original BLUE ballot, and the candidate you voted for got more than 20 votes, YOU DID NOT get a chance to change your mind. However, if you voted for a candidate that got less than 20 votes, or you voted undecided, then you got a chance after discussion to then vote on a RED ballot. At caucus end, red ballots were mixed with blue ballots and a true winner was chosen.

According to my employee, the process was fun. Folks got into it and many whooped and yelled and supported their candidate. They all talked civilly, but they discussed issues and opinions.

The GOP caucus voters got one ballot. One time, one vote. AND ours WEREN’T COUNTED ON SITE. Our precinct leaders turned in the ballots to a separate location that counted and verified them. Paper ballots that did not have a signature or anything.

I’m not sure what a caucus is supposed to accomplish, but I know the Democrats had a real procedure. They talked and discussed, and voted and counted, and then re-voted (if on the side of under 20). We did not get that opportunity. Also, if folks decided that they did NOT WANT to vote again on the side of the RED second ballot, they just left. But for those that wanted to support someone else rather than a “loser”, then they could.

Is that brilliant, or is that wrong? There’s a lot to be said that if you are a die hard member of one party or the other, that it’s just as important to select someone that is electable, as it is to select from the heart. I heard a lot of discussions like that at my caucus. Some were more concerned that a Republican was nominated that might win than they were that the guy more suited to their beliefs that was down on the chart get their vote. At least the Democrats in the Nevada caucus got the chance to talk and think about it, and then vote again if they so chose to do so. Right or wrong, at the GOP caucus, we only got one vote.

I’m not sure who’s right or wrong…but the whole process was very interesting. I’m a delegate for the GOP in the upcoming March County convention. I’m sure I’ll learn so much more as we go. Who knew that Democracy and a “fair and balanced” nation could have an “election” so complicated. I know this. I will be a proponent for change and to have our next election’s pre-nominee decided by a primary, not a caucus. It is all so strange in a caucus. At least in a primary, one gets ALL DAY to vote, and one ballot counts for one vote, groups of people do not decide. Some folks are better coaches than they are players. Some folks are better players than they are coaches. Perhaps voting, especially when different folks’ caucuses are so vastly different than others’, should be left to the individual in private.

I surely thank my employee though for sharing his experience today to me in so much detail. I’m so proud of anyone that participated today rather than staying at home due to fear of the unknown. Without my conversation with my employee, I would have had no idea that others did it different that the rest of us. If Reno and Washoe County had so many variances between precincts (we are an area of a mere population of 500,000), can you even imagine how goofy it was in Las Vegas (Clark County, estimated at a population of 1,800,000+)? 70% of Nevada’s population lives in Clark County. 500,000 live in Washoe County. Carson City, our state capitol is much smaller, with around 60,000 people. The rest of our great state was forced to caucus in tiny rural areas.

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Well, I’m going to my first caucus tomorrow. I’m going kicking and screaming and mad as hell, and so far, without doubt or variance of political affiliation, EVERY SINGLE OTHER local citizen I’ve talked to feels the same way! Nevadans do NOT WANT a caucus, not Nevadan Democrats nor Nevadan Republicans, at least in the poll of popular opinion that I’ve seen, and I’ve been asking EVERYBODY.

In the first place the mere word is offensive. The word “caucus” sounds like something nasty one might try to clear from their throat or nasal passages, eewww. So from the beginning of hearing that word, one is put off. It’s a strange word, especially in Nevada. Nobody knows what it means. Is it a noun, or a verb? Are we going to a caucus, are or we going to a meeting place to caucus? Well, as it turns out, “caucus” is both a noun AND a verb. Right there, flip flop begins, and in the state of Nevada, it goes far down hill from there.

I spent my earliest voting years in my home state of Texas, but most of my adult life I have been a resident of the Battle Born state of Nevada. We have always had a primary, open from about 7am to 7pm, and with the options of absentee ballots for those unable or unavailable on the day of the primary. We live in a nation of democracy, and that’s about as fair as it can get, and understandable and acceptable to all citizens.

Our grand state’s token imbecile, Harry Reid came up with the “unbright idea” that Nevada should hold a caucus. He bragged that he had the stroke to get our state an early date in the presidential election process, and that our great state could take a place in history this year by changing our process. We the people didn’t get a choice in the matter, and it was approached in a way that led us to believe that we were having an “early primary”. Turns out NONE OF THAT is true. The Nevada caucus is a sham, a disgrace to democracy, and with all the problems so obvious already, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Harry Reid has managed to most certainly make history in Nevada this election year, but not good history. There will basically be NO VOTE in Nevada. Whatever is decided on Saturday, January 19^th 2008 in Nevada will not even come close to what the real people of Nevada might want or vote for. Below, I will outline the problems on both sides of our political isle, but even in trying to be fair and balanced, the facts are what they are. The Democrats have stolen Nevada, and even they don’t realize how unfair the pros of the caucus are to them, the cons surely stack heavily against the GOP.

GOP Nevada caucus is at 9:00 AM Saturday, January 19^th, 2008. “They” say it will only take a “little while”, some estimate 30 minutes to a couple of hours. Many say at 9:05, the doors will lock (on both sides, their’s at 11:05), and if not there, to bad, you cannot participate.

Thousands of local Republicans got phone calls from the Barack Obama camp telling them that the caucus times had been changed. I’m sure a few believed it. I’m also sure that Barack Obama has a lot on his plate and had nothing to do with it. A few *69’d the calls from the “GOP” and someone answered from Obama’s campaign.

Postcards looking very official appeared in all of our mail boxes. It stated where your “true” caucus location was. Guess What? Thousands, including mine, were wrong, and in the case of mine and many others, even preposterous! Some got wrong locations only a few blocks wrong. My notification stated that I was supposed to show up entirely across town, excuse me, technically in a different city. All of us know how metropolis areas work. Las Vegas has Henderson. Dallas TX has Fort Worth, etc. However, legally, each city is its own legal entity. I live in the high Northwest area of Reno; Sparks, NV is several miles and several precincts away, not to mention a different CITY technically. My caucus notification told me to show up at Reed High School in Sparks. There was no mention of the phone calls on the news, except to folks that called in to local talk shows, and our “corrected” post cards from the legitimate GOP (yes our GOP dropped the ball in “Vegas “they” say”) just arrived on Thursday…two days before an already confusing first caucus. A spokesperson for our Nevada Republican Party called the FUBAR both "tragic and funny"! I don't think it's in any way FUNNY. If I were a Democrat OR a Republican, I don't think ANYTHING ABOUT THIS CAUCUS is FUNNY! I think it's a farce, and I have no say in the matter. If folks weren’t already opposed to showing up to a caucus early on their Saturday morning, having one phone call wrong, one post card wrong, and then a “correct” post card two days before “voting”…they are surely put off now and again, more WON’T SHOW UP.

Democratic or (LOP “Lame Old Party” or “Flop & Lop Party”) Nevada caucus begins at 11:00 am Saturday, January 19^th, 2008. “They” plan to be there a lot longer.

Republicans followed by some basic no-nonsense rules. You must have been a registered Republican voter 30 days prior to caucus to participate. On both sides, 17 year old people that will be 18 on Election Day in 2008 may register and participate.

Democrats are allowing anyone wishing to register to do so on the day of the caucus and participate. They are heavily advertising this fact and are encouraging registered Republican voters to come to their sites and are allowing them to re-register as Democrats and participate in the caucus.

Ron Paul, whom we all know WON'T get elected, but he is stirring the Nevada shit pot by claiming that REPUBLICANS are unfairly doing things. I've not found any evidence of this, I've called a couple of folks that should know, but nobody knows... Even if what he says is true, it all happened in the last two days, so nobody that it affects will even know about it. And, if it IS TRUE, why shouldn't we change our rules...it's all so lopsided already? I just don't know!

Military personnel that are giving their lives to fight for our country whether Democrat or Republican, cannot vote because they cannot attend. This was never so when we had a primary. We just lost two soldiers locally, and local DJ’s and even the families are encouraging folks not to attend the funeral of one, that is on Saturday, but instead to go and vote, and please respect their privacy (quoting paraphrased both DJ’s and family wishes). Vote in a way that will help those still left to do the duty. Amazing families. I respect that, no matter which side of the political isle they might sit on, and I don’t know where they sit. I only know that their child(ren) gave his life for me and my freedom, but our soldiers left in Nevada cannot participate. Our Nevada soldiers that might want to fall to Democrat sides of the fence cannot vote to end the war and come home. Our Nevada soldiers that believe in the fight and the continuance of the war cannot vote to keep it going. Of all people, OUR TROOPS should be able to vote! They are the ones that know the REAL TRUTHS where they are.

In Clark County (Las Vegas), because there are so many thousands of casino workers that cannot get off work to attend a caucus, they’ve selected sites at about nine major casinos to allow their voters to caucus at work. WTF??? What about the many thousand Reno casino workers (of which I was one for 20 years)? Do Republican casino workers get to caucus at work? I cannot find a link or any information to support or deny that they do, I’m assuming they do not from what I can find.

In trying to understand and have knowledge of caucus procedure, I searched and researched, and could hardly find any information at all online. The day before our caucus there was either no mention, or little mention of caucus information. Pretty sad.

The best article I was able to find oddly came from a small rural city in Eastern Nevada with a population of just over 4000. The Ely, NV Times explained the caucus process very well. I made a couple of phone calls to “folks in the know” and verified their statements and also found some other oddities. There are “mathematical formulas” that determine delegate eligibility. So, voter turn out plays a part in this “formula”. So, people so afraid to caucus because they DON’T KNOW what it is, aren’t going, folks that don’t particularly like to talk politics in a public forum, but still want to exercise their civic duty to vote privately on a ballot aren’t going. Women in particular are really intimidated by this process, old people are really confused and disgusted…can’t guarantee they can be anywhere within 15 minutes, so the deadlines, disgust, and confusion are keeping them at home.

Without the entire vote of a community, the process is already severely damaged, no matter if you lean Democrat or Republican. Even in primaries, it’s hard to get a large portion of a populous to vote, this caucus process will probably eliminate about 50% of the few that did vote. In Las Vegas where mass amounts of casino workers can vote at work, the voter turn out will be huge. It will sway the vote in a particular way due to the mathematical formula. So, giving a rare credit due to Bill Clinton for his comments when he blew up at a reporter, when mass amounts of voters show up and tip the scale, their vote does count about 5 times higher than a normal vote because that particular precinct got a larger turn out (and the workers get to vote in a precinct where they don’t live) (the few family residences and normal votes that a commercial precinct might get, are normally those of disenfranchised people and minorities), (many undocumented and illegal immigrants), (that’s common knowledge)…completely unfair and un-democracy. It’s all bullshit in Nevada.

The first part of the caucus involves electing delegates to the convention(s). In our larger cities, the delegates chosen will go to county, state, and eventually to the national convention for their said party. HELLO??? We are all showing up at the same time, at 9:00 AM on our day off, (or not trying to dodge being late for work), running in at the last minute like the (old) OJ Simpson in the airport commercial. We get there amongst a few hundred (or most likely a few dozen) of our “favorite friends and neighbors” that we’ve never met, and we vote on delegates??? After that, we each get to go to a machine and make our vote. In the mean time, we are supposed to voice our public opinions to strangers and try to persuade others to vote for “our man”. AND, this is all supposed to happen in an hour or so? How STUPID AND UNDERHANDED is this?

We were all fairly warned that if we don't show up for caucus, there will be no other opportunity to vote for President prior to the November 2008 election. Both parties stated clearly that NO presidential candidate will be on our primary ballot in August. Well guess what? The only other things on the August primary ballot are usually local and city issues. Nobody is "that" concerned about who is county commissioner, or justice of the peace, or whatever. One of the few things that drives people to vote on really important local issues is the fact that in the usual primary, they also get to vote on the president. Since no presidential candidates will be on the Nevada August primary ballot, a LOT of folks have voiced to me that they will drag themselves to tomorrow's caucus, but they WON'T vote in the August primary!

With a great decrease in August primary voters, the "powers that be" will be able to "slip in" all kinds of stuff that normally people would vote on, but since the freaking President of future won't be on the list, they won't show. So...a lot of stuff will happen locally because of those die hard on making it all about them will show. Nevada, it will get worse before it gets better; mark my words.

AND…THIS WILL BE A GREAT BUTT STABBER FOR YOU…”Unbreakable ties at real caucuses will be determined by drawing cards, with aces high”. I SHIT YOU NOT FOLKS! What is a “real” caucus? Who gets to stack the deck with Aces high? Is it like in REAL casinos…will the players get to see the cellophane ripped from the new deck? Will the deck be spread before the players to reveal that ALL the cards are actually in the deck? OK, swallow that for a moment, and now breathe and take this in…(“DELEGATES AT COUNTY, STATE AND NATIONAL CONVENTIONS ARE NOT LEGALLY BOUND TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE CANDIDATE THEY PLEDGED TO SUPPORT AT THE CAUCUS LEVEL OR AT A LOWER LEVEL CONVENTION (COUNTY FOR INSTANCE)” Excuse me people, then WHAT’S THE FREAKING POINT? On either side of the political isle, if this is the “new system” Harry Reid so faithfully set forth for Nevada, what’s the point?

I’m going tomorrow. I’m scared. I feel like I’m a straight A student being sent to the principal’s office in school, and then seeing police officers in the principal’s office, and having no idea what I did wrong. My vote won’t count. My vote is a learning experience mandated to me by a left wing moon bat that has temporary great power in Washington along with Nancy Pelosi. One moron named Stinky Pinky in power has managed to extinguish any real voting power in the great state of Nevada. Nevada is much like Texas in the beliefs of its real people and true voting populous. Vegas is considered “southern Nevada”, while it really has no resemblance to the true South. Northern Nevada is hugely Republican, but we have a much smaller populous and so we are considered the “step child” sister to Vegas. Our vast desert lands, waters, and mountainous terrain, and resemblance to the South in our “Wild West” beliefs make us unique, and it’s why I chose it as my home. However, the Wild Wild West has turned into the Lame Lame West Coast in regards to the beliefs of California due to a massive exodus of their population when housing got so high in their crisis of the last ten years. The massive influx of liberal Californians and illegals (Nevada has a 24% Hispanic population). Many, oh so many other peoples of various nations due to casino influence and ever increasing low percentage loans to minorities to own businesses…(I’ll stop now…it’s a never ending story)…

God bless Nevada. I’m so sorry that in our pre-election process, that all of our votes however small they may be, will not make a hill of beans truly to the end outcome. However, Nevada will choose someone, and it’s sad that someone from each party will go forth a hero, and it won’t even be truthful. God forbid that I give credit to someone that I hate, but in my research for trying to find a constitutional beef with the Nevada caucus, I came across an interesting written document. Of all people, Jesse Jackson wrote it. It was a paper describing in demonstrative form the horrible outcome of the last Presidential election when the folks of Florida had hanging chads and felt that Al Gore was the winner. In this paper, Mr. Jesse Jackson at this link http://www.house.gov/jackson/test/PositionPaper_Voting.doc goes on and on about fair elections. I read it more than once, because I knew to give credit to Jesse Jackson on this blog would make my blood curdle, but he had some good points to make. However, I’m sure even he wouldn’t apply his paper on the side of the GOP in regard to our Nevada caucus. But, it does apply.

THE CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE AMENDED TO MAKE VOTING FAIR FOR EVERYONE. EACH INDIVIDUAL’S VOTE SHOULD COUNT, AND NO MATTER WHICH SIDE OF A POLITICAL ISLE YOU SIT ON…YOUR VOTE SHOULD BE ONE, AND WE SHOULD ALL MATTER.

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