The media has waited with baited breath - and a volume of verbiage the world has rarely seen outside of coverage of Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears’ crotches - for Hillary to do her concession bit and for the two to hug and cry together. But they’re not giving that to us - at least, not yet. And either way, it’s OK.

I don’t want this to be a presidency driven solely by sound bytes and carefully crafted media images. I don’t expect two people who’ve fought so hard for their own campaigns (or the myriad thousands who’ve labored for them) to sudden love each other and make nice.

I don’t want Hillary Clinton named VP (and I think any announcement there will come much closer to the convention, if not at the convention itself in late August in Denver) simply because she was “the other candidate.” If there’s a better person for the Obama Democratic ticket, then I want that person considered. We’re not into legacies here, unless it’s the legacy for ALL of America, and not for a relatively privileged few (named Bush or Clinton or Kennedy, et al).

But what we need most of all is for the American people to unite in an understanding that the way ahead is tough regardless of how we go: that we may have to accept a period of increased hardship to try to get this nation - and the world that watches it - back on track. We’re already hurting; we can probably survive a little more.

And unlike the Bush-McCain technique, we need to take care of America’s working and middle classes through good education, job training, health care, and so much more. The Bush-McCain technique is to give and give to the wealthiest, and the rest have to wait til it trickles down the inner leg of the fatcat Republican peeing gold.

Like filmmaker Robert Greenwald in his email alerting us to this, I wonder why Republican John McCain, the man we’re constantly reminded was a war heo despite his willingness to sacrifice others’ lives, isn’t supporting the new G.I. bill.

Sign the petition; learn about the bill and then, if you agree, sign the petition to demand McCain and others step up for those we encouraged to step up for Washington.

As I sat battling the entire long weekend with pesky hardware problems among two different PC systems in addition to household leaks following some record snowfall all while experiencing the joy of feeling my glands swell and my nose turn raw while I also reviewed my tax returns, I couldn’t help but think that if misery loves company, I’ve got a multitude of new pals.

Sure, some Americans are having a decent time of it, but that percentage is literally dropping more everyday. Even among those who identify themselves as mostly maintaining their current living standard in one of the roughest prolonged financial “repressions” in the last century, many agree that not only is the U.S. in trouble economically, but our mental state is suffering, too.

In the last decade, we’ve seen one big change after another; most of them pretty awful. For example, we’re now seeing our first generations in recent American history where working adults are NOT making more than their parents did; where there is grave concern that what little “universal” health care we currently enjoy - Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for poorer kids - is failing badly.

Not since the Great Depression of the late 1920s-1930s have so many Americans:

Considering so much of this picture has become grim under the Republicans’ watch, how can ANYONE even consider voting for a McCain or a Huckabee in November? As a Democrat, I’m not sure my candidate can bring about enough of a change as quickly as our country needs but I’ll take that concern over choosing one of the GOP disasters.

Is there a point in time when the scandals and cronyism inherent in the Bush administration lose their flavor, their zest? Let’s see:

Lots of our tax money is being spent to buy primarily useless software made by a company founded by the president’s brother.

Nope, it’s still got that zing! From CNN’s Ticker:

The inspector general of the Education Department says he will review whether federal money is inappropriately being spent on education programs by a company founded by Neil Bush, the president’s brother.

[Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington] contends school districts are inappropriately using federal money for Ignite! programs. The group argues there is no proof the company’s products are effective and claims the schools are using the products due to political considerations.

Ignite! sells a product it refers to as a Curriculum on Wheels, which comes with software to teach math, social studies and science and costs about $3,800 each, not including maintenance costs, according to CREW.

This morning I turned to the sports section to catch up on the latest football scores and also to sort out what has become one of the more exciting pennant races in history. In the midst of the stories about whether the Mets would manage to pull it out on the last day, whether the Yankees had a chance against Cleveland, and the complex mathematics of a potential National League playoff, I found a column by the the New York Times Selena Roberts, who seems to always have something interesting to say.

Today the story she had to tell involves Heisman trophy winners, Swift Boats, ivory towers, Rutgers University’s football team and a storm gathering over America. (more…)

The absolute, number one most disturbing “disinformation” I heard - and yet still can’t believe - from the Republican presidential debate tonight was the moment when three different GOP contenders basically stated they do not believe in evolution.

From a cretin like Sam Brownback or Tancredo, perhaps I should have expected this. Both men seem all too eager for the stamp of approval from the extremist so-called Christian right. There is also the matter that, prior to last November’s mid-term election that unseated more than a few GOPeers, a poll showed that only about 13% of Republican House members “admitted” evolution was “possible”. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a physician for pity’s sake, frequently tossed the most basic science out the window (remember his diagnosis of Terri Schiavo by videotape?).

But from candidate Mike Huckabee, who has gone on pundit shows (as well as The Daily Show) and (perhaps just pretended) sounding quite moderate in his beliefs, I am stunned. No, stunned is simply does not begin to describe how I feel.

This is no question of religious faith. The majority of Americans accept evolution at the same time they profess a belief in a higher power. I am one of them.

So what is any intelligent person left to believe about these men? Possibilities include:

• they’re incredibly stupid
• they got through school without ever taking a single course in science and/or anthropology
• they’re pandering (my “money” is on this option)

Can we really afford yet another extremist GOP administration that wages war on science? I don’t think so.

Mind you, I’ve seen saying for years now that Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Program” is merely shorthand for the fuller title, “No Child Left Behind In A Public School Worthy Of The Title” program. This report from the Washington Post offers new indication of how true this is:

The Justice Department is conducting a probe of a $6 billion reading initiative at the center of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind law, another blow to a program besieged by allegations of financial conflicts of interest and cronyism, people familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The disclosure came as a congressional hearing revealed how people implementing the $1 billion-a-year Reading First program made at least $1 million off textbooks and tests toward which the federal government steered states.

“That sounds like a criminal enterprise to me,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House education committee, which held a five-hour investigative hearing. “You don’t get to override the law,” he angrily told a panel of Reading First officials. “But the fact of the matter is that you did.”

Sadly, however, the Justice Department itself seems pretty corrupt these days with little indication U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales can either read or make decisions that aren’t purely partisan.

Not sure what to say.  I’m guessing others don’t either.  I’m not trying to speak for everyone, but there’s a silence in that the elephant in the room is so …indescribable.  I’m used to cursing and ranting, but this has me struck dumb.  I don’t have any connection to VT except that I live in the state to the south.  And yet I found myself overwhelmed listening to Morning Edition on the way to work.  Click the Listen link if you haven’t heard it yet (more extensive than the copy).

Now is the time of reflection, the time for compassion.  It’s a time to note that Malkin and Gibson are saying arming college kids would’ve helped.  I don’t even know what the hell to say to that.

Students, faculty, employees, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and anyone else affected by this tragedy: My thoughts, my compassion, my sorrow is with you.  And I know I’m not alone on this one.

I taught high school English. Just one year in a rural town where there was one high school for the entire county. And when I taught Elie Wiesel’s Night, one student I had related the horrific tale of how Judaism was treated in the concentration camps this way: “If the Jews had chosen Jesus Christ as their personal savior, none of this would’ve happened.”

Um, what?

Some background: I have two college degrees and have seen the Bible studied. As literature. In a state college. Where students are given a cavalcade of choices and place their votes into the available electives with their dollars. It’s a supply and demand system decided by an assload of student money. And it works.

Time magazine recently gave the argument for teaching the Bible in public schools.

I see the light, but I disagree.

If you hate spoilers for news magazine stories, stop reading now. Much of the story is quoted and commented on in the following post. But it’s really good, so read it online, then join us. Or just rock on.
(more…)

Most readers don’t know this but one of the first tasks the new Congress will take on is the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Not only would I bet that you didn’t know this, but I’ll go even further to say I doubt you knew how the person you are planning to vote for stands on NCLB. This is important because it was Democrats who helped to pass NCLB. Like the Iraq War resolution it was one of those laws they voted for out of fear of what the voters might do than out of any deep sense of commitment.

I will bet you know how your candidates stand on Iraq, the budget, tax cuts, health care and other issues, but you do not have a clue about what plans those people have for educating your children. Think about that for a minute: your candidate has told you all about Baghdad but nothing about their plans for your local elementary or secondary school. In fact, education may get the award for the most ignored issue of this campaign by candidates, blogs and the media alike.

Read the full story at Liberal America…