Nice try, KK...But it would take a heck of a lot more than that to make me vote for O'bama. Like maybe a gun held to my head.

Thank you for responding Rod, I am genuinely curious as to why any free American would ever choose to subjugate another group of human beings.

I also believe we should not have laws to protect people based on minority status... but the sad truth is, that because people in this country do discriminate based on minority status... we do (as of today) need certain protections.

It really was not so long ago in this country when Americans believed that there shouldn't be laws passed to allow black children to be taught with white children.... I believe those laws have made our country a much better place.



Is this country perfect? No! But by working together and trying to create a greater understanding... I believe it will one day be a better place...

And I also know that this country, as flawed as it is, is the best Nation on this planet... and it is up to us "We the People" to ensure it continues to grow and progress to be the best place to live.

Well I am no Norman Rockwell (by any stretch of the imagination...)

One of my favorite artists is the illustrator J.C. Leyendecker (who was one of Rockwell's inspirations)...
http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/leyendec.htm


Here is a painting I did for a friend as a gift...

Well maybe now you all will vote for Obama.
OK Obama ...I'm geting worried here.

Ralph Nader........ heeeeeeelp!





Obama Would Back Offshore Drilling
As Part of Bipartisan Energy Package

AMY CHOZICK


August 2, 2008 2:10 p.m.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida -- Barack Obama said on Saturday he would support an expansion of offshore drilling as part of a broader bipartisan energy bill, a more flexible approach than the Democratic presidential contender has previously demonstrated.

Sen. Obama, who has opposed further offshore drilling despite it being a politically unpopular position, told reporters he "remains skeptical" of drilling provisions in pending legislation designed to lessen dependence on foreign oil and ramp up development of alterative energy, but he said he would be willing to compromise.

"If we can come up with a genuine bipartisan compromise in which I have to accept some things I don't like or the Democrats have to accept some things they don't like… that's something I'm open to," Sen. Obama said while speaking to reporters at a Radisson hotel.

The issue of offshore drilling has sparked heated debates recently between Sen. Obama and his likely Republican rival, John McCain, over the past week.

Sen. McCain supports expanded drilling off the nation's coastlines as a way to drive down gas prices and give the overall economy a boost. He has come down hard on Sen. Obama lately for opposing expanded drilling.

"Sen. Obama says he wants energy independence, but he doesn't support anything that serves that goal," Sen. McCain said in his weekly radio address on Saturday. "He believes every domestic energy source has a problem. I believe every energy source needs to be part of the solution."

On Friday Sen. McCain said he supported offshore drilling at a press conference with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. "We need oil drilling and we need it now. We need it offshore," he said.

Sen. Obama's shift on Saturday could spark criticism from opponents who view the decision as a way to curb fallout from pushing a politically unpopular position. Sen. Obama has said repeatedly on the stump that he would stand by his opposition to drilling which he says wouldn't contribute to a dependence on foreign oil and would do little or nothing to bring down gas prices in the short term.

"Instead of offering any real plan to lower gas prices, Sen. McCain touts his support for George Bush's plan for offshore drilling," Sen. Obama said at a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday.

He reiterated his criticism on Saturday. "We can't drill our way out of the problem," he said. "The long-term trend is for flat or decreasing oil supply and increased consumption."

But he said that wouldn't stop him from supporting legislation being drafted by 10 senators -- five Democrats and five Republicans -- that would ease a federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling while ending a tax break for oil companies.

"What I don't want to do is for the best to be the enemy of good here," he said. "[I don't want] partisan bickering or the desire to score political points to get in the way of providing some genuine relief to people who are struggling."

One of the aims of the legislation is to have gas-guzzling vehicles using 85% nonoil fuel sources within 20 years -- similar to proposals that Sen. Obama has made in recent weeks.

The bill would also raise billions of dollars for various conservation and energy-efficiency programs by making oil companies no longer eligible for a manufacturing tax credit. Some estimates have put the potential savings from such a move at $13 billion over 10 years.

The McCain campaign saw an opening on Saturday to attack the Illinois senator for flip flopping. "We hope Barack Obama will realize that his ongoing opposition to John McCain's realistic energy solutions and additional offshore drilling is wrong," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement.

Shifting positions is a problem both candidates have had to deal with in recent weeks: Sen. Obama on his promise to withdraw troops from Iraq within his first 16 months in office and Sen. McCain for wavering on his pledge not to raise taxes in order to revitalize the ailing Social Security system.

With its sprawling coastline and tourism industry, the topic of drilling hits close to home in Florida, a key battleground state that both candidates have visited this week. The state voted Republican in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.

Sen. Obama tried to calm local fears on Saturday when a reporter from the St. Petersburg Times asked him how he would protect Florida's coastlines. He said he would be strongly opposed to "anything that would have an impact on that extraordinary treasure, not just of Florida's, but of the country as a whole."

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted July 23-29 gives Sen. Obama a slight lead in the state with 46%, compared to 44% for Sen. McCain. Other polls show Sen. McCain leading.

My husband got me a big picture of flowers...but it is made out of sea shells. I think it is beautiful. My son got me some real flowers. My daughter got me a candle and perfume. I was pleased that no one forgot this year....but, I'm glad it is almost over.

My husband got me a big picture of flowers...but it is made out of sea shells. I think it is beautiful. My son got me some real flowers. My daughter got me a candle and perfume. I was pleased that no one forgot this year....but, I'm glad it is almost over.

First the surge and now offshore drilling? Obama is getting closer to McCain as we get closer to November.

As you well know my vote is symbolic by voting for McCain. Democrats outnumber republicans 2 to 1 in New York State...It's mostly in New York City.

Does the Bertolli ad , at the top of the screen with the moving bottles, make anyone besides me dizzy? I sure wish they would come up with a different one.

Now wait a dag-blamed minute! It's 9:00, and you two are signing off? Lightweights.

My son lives in Londonderry and works in nearby Manchester.

I agree with you on the Melting Pot - ok if you are on a date. Now my son wants his mom to drag out the fondue when Christmas rolls around. Haven't had fondue at home since the 1970's when the wife had a circle of friends - they have since moved away.

Not everyone is ok with no AC in hot weather and simple accommodations. Once you have AC you can't live without it.

I have a bias for NY too as I have lived here for most of my life. NY has the ocean in the south and the mts in the north and lakes, lots of lakes.

Getting back to your move to Pearl River you're going to be in great shape. Close to NY City yet out where there is green and fresh air.

Well I am no Norman Rockwell (by any stretch of the imagination...)

One of my favorite artists is the illustrator J.C. Leyendecker (who was one of Rockwell's inspirations)...
http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/leyendec.htm


Here is a painting I did for a friend as a gift...

My husband got me a big picture of flowers...but it is made out of sea shells. I think it is beautiful. My son got me some real flowers. My daughter got me a candle and perfume. I was pleased that no one forgot this year....but, I'm glad it is almost over.

I agree with Civil Union protections for all couples in the United States. I have been in the position of not having permission to see my partner after he was in a severe auto accident! I also see that every gay & lesbian couple I know pays higher taxes than their married heterosexual counterparts.



Although I agree with you on the fact that I am ashamed at how some of my compatriots act and behave in public during "Gay Pride" events, I also understand that the need for such spectacles will be greatly reduced once gays and lesbians can enjoy the same freedoms as the rest of our society.

I wish all of the Pride participants could see this as a political march and act accordingly.

I have no problem with people dressing up and acting wild once they are off the public streets and in a separate atmosphere. But IMO no one should be exposed to near nudity and extreme acts of sexuality in public...
Of course I see this almost everyday with heterosexual couples in public... (but I digress).

The second point is you cannot take the sex out of homosexuality.... our sexual identities are what makes us targets of discrimination to begin with. But again, turn on your TV and see how often and how extreme sex is portrayed in our culture. I'm not saying it's right.... but it is a fact!
Now imagine that every time you see heterosexuality represented in the media that it does not represent you or your beliefs.... it's pretty overwhelming!



Homosexual families exist! It's a fact... why would you want to hide that fact from children?
What is wrong with teaching kids that not all families are made up of two opposite sex partners of the same race and same religion and their homogeneous cookie cutter children are the only families that exist???
If you want to discuss your families personal religious or political beliefs with your children this is exactly the time to do it.
They will be exposed to it not matter what- pretending we do not exist will not keep your children safe from learning about us.

Why the need to pretend that being gay or knowing someone who is gay is an "adults only" issue?


I love those two words "Preferential Treatment".
I am looking for Laws that will protect me and my family from being ostracized, made to feel like a criminal, forced to endure discrimination on the job and in every aspect of my life- or beaten or even murdered because of my sexual identity.

How does wanting those things mean I want preferential treatment?

Do you enjoy these rights? Can your boss fire you for being heterosexual? Have you ever had objects thrown at you from moving cars? Have you ever been beaten or discriminated against because of who you are? And then told that you got what you deserved?!?!?!

Have you ever been told that you should be ashamed of something that you felt is an inherent part of your being?

Have you ever attempted suicide because your culture and all of society tells you that you that are sick and don't deserve to live?

I think if we could just try to see the world from someone else's perspective once in awhile the world would be a much different place.

It is very easy to be judgmental when you are sitting on the side of the majority.

Sorry John I think it was the Corvair..The man is a radical warrior against greed and he rocks.
He takes the heat when no one else will and he is always on the side of US....meaning YOU!
He did change the world and God bless him.

Psh I see you down there you flitter and I heard you have been cheating on me with AI. Sheeeesh......Men!

I'm gonna' be up all night so start tawking!!
My son keeps bringing in boxes and I keep wanting to cry ....I need a wife



Early Years as a Consumer Advocate

After a stint working as a lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut, Nader headed for Washington, where he began his career as a consumer advocate. He worked for Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the Department of Labor and volunteered as an adviser to a Senate subcommittee that was studying automobile safety.

In 1965, he published Unsafe at Any Speed, a best-selling indictment of the auto industry and its poor safety standards. He specifically targeted General Motors' Corvair. Largely because of his influence, Congress passed the 1966 National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Nader was also influential in the passage of 1967's Wholesome Meat Act, which called for federal inspections of beef and poultry and imposed standards on slaughterhouses, as well as the Clean Air Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

"Nader's Raiders" and Modern Consumer Movement

Nader's crusade caught on, and swarms of activists, called "Nader's Raiders," joined his modern consumer movement. They pressed for protections for workers, taxpayers, and the environment and fought to stem the power of large corporations.

In 1969 Nader established the Center for the Study of Responsive Law, which exposed corporate irresponsibility and the federal government's failure to enforce regulation of business. He founded Public Citizen and U.S. Public Interest Research Group in 1971, an umbrella for many other such groups.

A prolific writer, Nader's books include Corporate Power in America (1973), Who's Poisoning America (1981), and Winning the Insurance Game (1990).

Roxanne, Roxanne. Cyrano DeBergerac was a tear jerker. I read the book (I think it was one of the Classics Illustrated comics) and saw the 1950 film version starring Jose Ferrer on tv.

I'm not one for romantic literature. I read a lot of historical novels - fiction based on historical events.

I just finished a book by Richard S Wheeler relating the life of William Barclay Masterson or Bat Masterson as he was popularly called. Masterson was a lawman in the old West and when his days as a sheriff and US marshall were over he became a writer for the NY Times.

My favorite series of books were written by Bernard Cornwall ( a Massachusetts resident) who wrote historical novels occurring in England from the time of King Arthur to the Napoleonic Wars. I have the complete set of books that feature Richard Sharpe, a soldier in his majesty's army, who rose through the ranks while fighting in India and in Europe. The adventures of Richard Sharpe have been televised in a mini-series starring Sean Bean and our very own Padma Lakshmi in one of the episodes. The series has aired on PBS. I missed seeing it in my area.

In getting your ticket reduced did you break down in tears? That's what one of my wife's co-workers did after the police stopped her for doing 50 mph in a 30 mph zone. He let her go. She must have been really pitiful.

For years I thought Londonderry Aire was a Londoners a$$... ...

John, have you ever read any of Colleen McCoullough's(I'm sure I didn't spell her name right)First Man in Rome, series?...If you like historical fiction, and if you like spending time in ancient Rome; you will enjoy these books...They trace the period of time from Sulla, through Octavian...The four greatest men aincent Rome, ever produced, and they all knew eachother...

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I totally agree with this...and it deserves repeating.

No, I haven't. I wrote McCoullough's name down for future reading.

Thanks.

You forgot:

The Yellow Stream, by I. P. Daley
Under the Bleachers, by Seymore Butts
... ...

That's ok Mr.Bush, looks like Howdy Doody,(about 1/2 of y'all are like "Who???")... ...

Is it true that Floridians, especially the ones from NY vote twice?

C-Spam? Do you watch msnbc too? ---Chris Matthews feeling a thrill going up his leg when interviewing Obama. A gavel? ---Judge Kristy?

I admit it - I watch O'Reilly. I don't care that much for Hannity as he is a bit too far to the right. His co-host, Allen Colmes, looks like a little weasel. The smartest guy I've seen on Fox is Charles Krauthammer.