The REAL Polarbear's Blog

VIDEO: McCain Burned By His Own Fire

Angry anti-Obama taunts grip McCain, Palin events

By PHILIP ELLIOTT and BETH FOUHY – 23 hours ago

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Some of the anger is getting raw at Republican rallies and John McCain is mostly letting it flare. A sense of grievance spilling into rage has gripped some GOP events as McCain supporters see his presidential campaign lag against Barack Obama. They're making it personal, against the Democrat. Shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" have rung from the crowd at McCain and Sarah Palin rallies, and gone unchallenged by them.

Presidential candidates are accustomed to raucous rallies this close to Election Day and welcome the enthusiasm. But they are also traditionally monitors of sorts from the stage. Part of their job is to leaven proceedings if tempers run ragged and to rein in an out-of-bounds comment from the crowd.

Not so much this week, at GOP rallies in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and other states.

When a visibly angry McCain supporter in Waukesha, Wis., on Thursday told the candidate "I'm really mad" because of "socialists taking over the country," McCain stoked the sentiment. "I think I got the message," he said. "The gentleman is right." He went on to talk about Democrats in control of Congress.

The anti-Obama taunts and jeers are noticeably louder when McCain appears with Palin, a big draw for GOP social conservatives. She accused Obama this week of "palling around with terrorists" because of his past, loose association with a 1960s radical. If less directly, McCain, too, has sought to exploit Obama's Chicago neighborhood ties to William Ayers, while trying simultaneously to steer voters' attention to his plans for the financial crisis.

The Alaska governor did not campaign with McCain on Friday, and his rally in La Crosse was much more subdued than those earlier in the week when the two campaigned together. Still, one woman shouted "traitor" when McCain told voters Obama would raise their taxes.

Volunteers worked up chants from the crowd of "U.S.A." and "John McCain, John McCain," in an apparent attempt to drown out boos and other displays of negative energy.

Palin, at a fundraiser in Ohio on Friday, told supporters "it's not negative and it's not mean-spirited" to scrutinize Obama's iffy associations.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said Friday the outbursts weren't a "big deal," but acknowledged considerable frustration among some of the candidate's supporters.

"Political rallies have always attracted people who are emotionally connected to the outcome of the election," Davis said, adding, "I'm confident it has nothing to do with what our candidates are doing or saying right now."

Obama disputed that assessment at a campaign rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, on Friday. "It's easy to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division," Obama said. "In the last couple of days, we've seen a barrage of nasty insinuations and attacks."

The Obama campaign has kept up a daily drumbeat about McCain's "lies" and the Democratic candidate himself has routinely distorted his rival's record and agenda. Obama calls McCain "erratic" in a subtle but unmistakable attempt to exploit questions about the Republican's age and temperament. But his rallies and rhetoric have lacked the personal venom coming at him from the other side.

The Secret Service confirmed Friday that it had investigated an episode reported in The Washington Post in which someone in Palin's crowd in Clearwater, Fla., shouted "kill him," on Monday, meaning Obama. There was "no indication that there was anything directed at Obama," Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren told AP. "We looked into it because we always operate in an atmosphere of caution."

Fitting with McCain's theme that people don't know enough about Obama, his co-chairman Frank Keating broached a subject Thursday that got one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's advisers removed from her inner circle during her Democratic primary campaign.

Keating described Obama as a "guy of the street" who should be more candid about his drug use as a young man. Obama wrote about his teenage experimentation with drugs and alcohol in his memoirs.

The McCain campaign began running a new television ad criticizing Obama for his relationship with Ayers, a founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam War era. Obama and Ayers are neighbors in Chicago, and the two once served together on a charity board. Ayers held a house party for Obama when he was launching his career in Chicago politics, but the two are not close friends.

"When convenient, he worked with terrorist Bill Ayers," the ad says. "When discovered, he lied."

In two events this week, warm-up speakers at GOP rallies have used Obama's middle name, Hussein, to seed doubts about the Democrat, a tactic meant to draw attention to the false rumors that Obama is a Muslim, as well as to belittle him. "On Nov. 4, let's leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened," a sheriff told Palin's Florida rally.

McCain once stepped forward directly to denounce that tactic. This week, his campaign merely issued a lukewarm criticism that tried to score a political point in the same breath: "We do not condone this inappropriate rhetoric which distracts from the real questions of judgment, character and experience that voters will base their decisions on this November."

Some of the frustration at McCain's rallies is from people who want the candidate to go harder after Obama. In Waukesha, when a voter begged McCain to take a more combative tone toward Obama, McCain instead talked about the financial crisis.

"Could I just say very quickly, yes, I'll do that," McCain said. "But I also, my friends, want to address the greatest financial challenge of our lifetime with a positive plan for action."

Palin's husband refuses to testify in probe

By MATT VOLZ – 33 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband has refused to testify in the investigation of his wife's alleged abuse of power, and key lawmakers said Thursday that uncooperative witnesses are effectively sidetracking the probe until after Election Day.

Todd Palin, who participates in state business in person or by e-mail, was among 13 people subpoenaed by the Alaska Legislature. Palin's lawyer sent a letter to the lead investigator saying Palin objected to the probe and would not appear to testify on Friday.

"The objections boil down to the fact that the Legislative Council investigation is no longer a legitimate investigation because it has been subjected to complete partisanship and does not operate with the authority that it had at the time of its initial authorization," McCain-Palin presidential campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan said.

Sarah Palin initially welcomed the bipartisan investigation into accusations that she dismissed the state's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper. "Hold me accountable," she said.

But she has increasingly opposed it since Republican presidential candidate John McCain tapped her as his running mate. The McCain campaign dispatched a legal team to Alaska including O'Callaghan, a former top U.S. terrorism prosecutor from New York to bolster Palin's local lawyer.

In the letter, Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein lists nine objections to the Legislature's investigation into Gov. Palin. Van Flein also argues the subpoena is "unduly burdensome" because Palin has travel plans that require him to be out of the state.

Earlier this week, Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg said the governor, who was not subpoenaed, declined to participate in the investigation and said Palin administration employees who have been subpoenaed would not appear.

State Sen. Bill Wielechowski, a Democrat, said the McCain campaign is doing all it can to prevent the Legislature from completing a report on whether the GOP's vice presidential nominee abused her power as governor.

Wielechowski and another member of the panel that summoned the witnesses, told The Associated Press that the witnesses can avoid testifying for months without penalty and that court action to force them to appear sooner is unlikely.

Republican Sen. Gene Therriault agreed with Wielechowski's analysis.

"If we had turned the rhetoric down and turned the pressure down to do some things we might have gotten voluntary cooperation," said Therriault, who opposed the subpoenas.

The McCain-Palin campaign said Thursday that Gov. Palin is cooperating with a separate Alaska State Personnel Board investigation into Troopergate. Palin initiated that investigation after she joined McCain's ticket. The three-member board is appointed by the governor.

"I can't say it enough, the governor is an open book on this matter," McCain spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said. "She is fully cooperating with the unbiased, legally appropriate and independent investigation of the State Personnel Board."

Palin fired Walt Monegan in July. It later emerged that Palin, her husband, Todd, and several high-level staffers had contacted Monegan about state trooper Mike Wooten. Palin maintains she fired Monegan over budget disagreements, not because he wouldn't dismiss her former brother-in-law.

Wooten had gone through a nasty divorce from Palin's sister before Palin became governor. While Monegan says no one from the administration ever told him directly to fire Wooten, he says their repeated contacts made it clear they wanted Wooten gone.

Alaska Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican foe of Palin, said Wednesday that the investigation is still on track.

"The original purpose of the investigation was to bring out the truth. Nothing has changed," she said.

Without the testimony, the retired prosecutor hired to head the investigation could still release a report in October as scheduled, based on the evidence he's already gathered. As of Thursday, Steven Branchflower had interviewed or deposed 17 of the 33 people he had identified as potential witnesses in the probe.

The Legislature does not have the leverage to compel any witness to testify before Nov. 4, said Wielechowski, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Wielechowski said he did not know whether Branchflower has enough material for a complete and fair report with so few witnesses. But he said delaying the probe would only politicize the matter more.

"It would be to appease the McCain camp," Wielechowski said. "They're doing everything they can to delay."

Ignoring a legislative subpoena is punishable by a fine up to $500 and up to six months in jail under Alaska law. But courts are reluctant to intervene in legislative matters and the full Legislature must be in session to bring contempt charges, Wielechowski said. The Legislature is not scheduled to convene until January.

Alaska's new state quarter!

Yes, the links DO in fact work.    The most likely reason why you may have received an error message is because Internet Explorer has 'glitch' that does not allow copying and pasting of a URL that is on more than one line.    What you were getting was the first part only.   <http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w28/monstar423/
Palin>  is NOT a valid URL, there is no ending on it and the site could not find it, thus the error message.    Now, those of us who use Firefox could view the photos just fine.    So, I figured a reprint was called for, just to take away any excuse the peasants who use Internet Explorer may try to claim.

 

 

Wow, what a class act!!!   I'd just love to have these two little white trash Jerry Springer rejects in MY White House.   NOT!!!!   I'll bet she has the same irritating, grating voice as her mom.   The voice that makes me dream of shoving hot, pokey things into my ears!!!

Now, THIS is MY idea of a FIRST FAMILY!!

  Must see TV no longer refers to the Peacock network's Thursday night lineup.   This election season, it refers to this Sarah Palin video.    In this video, what we already knew is confirmed.   Sarah Palin is a Christian Fundamentalist freak, just like the current administration.   

VIDEO: Sarah Palin In Church

If there ever was a Commander In Chief Test, here are a few questions that should be on it:

-Do you believe that creationism should be taught in public schools?

-Do you believe that the Earth is around 6000 years old?

-Do you think we are 'on a mission from god' to fight the war in Iraq?

-Do you think Sarah Palin was right in asking the congregation to pray for the Alaskan pipeline because it is "God's Will"?

If you answered YES to even ONE of the above questions, you are not fit to be Commander in Chief of the United States.

VIDEO: The beautiful, Majestic Creatures Sarah Palin Supports the Killing of-For Sport

VIDEO: More Hunting

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axnQvvOVH2M

WARNING: The videos above are extremely graphic in nature and contain violence.   Viewer Discretion is strongly advised.

 

 

98% of the grizzly bears in the continental U.S. have been exterminated.

Sarah Palin is now doing the same thing to bears and wolves in Alaska.

 

       Like many Alaskans, Palin believes that bears – and all wildlife, exist for the sole purpose of human exploitation.  Sarah Palin and the Alaska Board of Game whose members make decisions about most wildlife, are actively trying to cripple the bear viewing/eco-tourism industry in Alaska. Photographs of Palin with her bear rug were published in the Anchorage Daily News amidst great controversy over the hunting of habituated bears around Katmai National Park and the McNeil River Sanctuary.  Several weeks before the controversial 2007 Katmai Preserve hunt (where bears habituated to bear viewers were shot) Palin posed deliberately next to a dead bear to a make a point – that she will do everything in her power to make sure bears and other wildlife are mercilessly shot for pleasure in Alaska.  This is another example of how conservative Palin really is.  Palin supports shooting habituated bears even though the majority of Alaskans (even sport hunters) are opposed to hunting them.

          In the past two years, bears habituated to bear viewing have reportedly been shot at bear viewing sites around the state – as a statement to bear advocates that Alaska is about shooting animals, not understanding them.  Palin supports mining and oil drilling as a way to create jobs in Alaska - yet she tries to destroy the bear viewing industry which generated $100,000,000 this year!  Palin cares most about preserving an outdated way of life based on the consumption of the natural world.  

Photographers from all around the world travel to Alaska to photograph wild grizzly bears

This year the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game plans to exterminate 1,400 bears out of a population of 2,000 in an area west of Anchorage.  The Alaskan government consistently ignores decades of scientific research that has proven that predators actually keep prey populations healthy.  Alaska fish and game is wiping out entire populations of predators -using cruel practices such as baiting, trapping, and aerial shooting, in the name of boosting dwindling moose populations. This is just plain ignorant, since biologists have known since the 60’s that wolves and bears do not negatively impact prey species such as moose and caribou. Anyone who has taken ecology or biology 101 knows this is established fact. What is threatening moose and other prey species is over hunting by humans, and a large number of yearly road-kill fatalities.  The impact of habitat destruction, climate change, and a decrease in predation also contributes.  Limiting trophy hunting of moose, however, is never considered an alternative.  Alaska is also the only state that prohibits wildlife rescue and rehabilitation (which would help boost moose numbers).

The majority of people who visit Alaska do not support sport hunting and the destruction of wildlife.  Most tourists come to Alaska to view wildlife, not to slaughter it.  Seeing a grizzly in the wild is the highlight of every tourist's trip!  The best hope for Alaskan wildlife is for the tourists who fund the economy to make their wishes known loud and clear – that they do not support archaic policies which destroy the Alaskan ecosystem.

Alaska is the last place in the U.S. where humans have not gobbled up and destroyed the natural world.  This unique place on the planet needs to be protected, and not allowed to continue to be nothing but a place where animals are trapped, and shot and skinned, and stuffed, and hung on a wall, or used as a rug to wipe your dirty feet.

 

Contact Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and tell her you oppose the slaughter of bears, wolves and other predators.  Mention that you oppose the hunting of habituated grizzly bears in the Katmai Preserve.  Tell her you support the abolishment of the Board of Game, which is comprised entirely of trophy hunters. These ignorant trophy hunters set most wildlife policies in Alaska. 

VIDEO: The beautiful, Majestic Creatures Sarah Palin Supports the Killing of-For Sport

VIDEO: More Hunting

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axnQvvOVH2M

A smug Sara Palin mugs for the camera while showing off the animal she murdered.



ABOVE:  Wolves slaughtered by Sara Palin and her people for sport.   Apparently one of her 'small town values' is murdering innocent, defenseless wildlife.

BELOW: A wolf slaughtered through aerial hunting.   That's right, these monsters fly around in planes blowing the stuffing out of the wild life in Alaska.   And I remind you that these atrocities are not committed for reasonable reasons like food or protection.    This is purely for sport.   A sick, twisted, demented, barbaric sport.   There is no reason to justify aerial hunting.



Here, Sara Palin's parent's proudly watch their daughter on Television, surrounded by the taxidermy of past kills.   Apparently the murdering and displaying of animals is an Alaskan family tradition.   Passed down to Sarah by her parents.    Maybe one day little Bristol Palin will pass this same tradition down to her little bastard child.



Once again, Palin proudly posing by a grizzly bear killed by her father.   Do we really want these people in the White House?   Do you seriously want to see these rednecks' 'trophy kills' displayed in a place of class, style and grace like the White House?    Actually, make that the White Trash House if Palin is elected!    Maybe a stuffed moose head will finally make the Lincoln Bedroom 'complete'.   LOL!   You might be a redneck if...



Look at that!!!   Apparently they were bored of killing on land.  What are we to do?    Ahhhh yes, the sea of course!!!  

And to think at one point in time I actually thought BUSH was the worst president on the environment.



And CHENEY was the demented shotgun wielder who is obsessed with hunting.

Here are 14 interesting facts you should know about Ms. Sara Palin.    And for all you Kool Aid drinkers out there, I included the links to actual sources where these came from.    Don't even try the 'you made this up' thing.   It will not be tolerated.    Here are the facts.   I have presented them and achieved understanding.   What you choose to do with this information is up to you.   I strongly hope you consider and remember this on Election Day.

1    She is opposed to abortion even in cases of rape and incest (even if victims are children)

2    She offered a bounty of $150 for each left front leg of freshly killed wolves

3    She is presently under investigation in Alaska for abuse of power

4    She strongly supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

5    She promotes aerial hunting of wolves and bears even though Alaskans voted twice to ban the practice (VIDEO)

6     She used $400,000 of state money to fund a propaganda campaign in support of aerial hunting

7     She is a champion for big oil and her campaign slogan has become "Drill, baby, drill!"

8     She believes creationism should be taught in public schools

9     She believes man-made global warming is a farce

10 She is opposed to listing the polar bear as an endangered species because it might limit oil exploitation

11 While mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire the city librarian because the librarian refused to censor books

12 She supports the Alaskan Independence Party which seeks independence from the United States

13 As mayor of Wasilla, she made rape victims pay for their own forensic evidence kits

14 She obtained her first passport just last year (2007)

1-http://www.naral.org/elections/election-pr/pr082920
08_palin.html

2-http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/872673
0p-8628810c.html

2-http://www.alternet.org/environment/97207

3-http://www.ktva.com/ci_10026165

4-http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/510779.html


5-http://www.hsus.org/wildlife_abuse/news/aerial_hunti
ng_alaska_082108.html

5-http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8851174

6-http://dwb.adn.com/front/story/9253882p-9168881c.ht<
/a>ml

7-http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/09/04
/palins-policy-drill-baby-drill/

8-http://www.thelangreport.com/religion-or-lack-of/sar
ah-palin-wants-creationism-taught-in-school/

9-http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/08/pali
n-global-wa.html

10-http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUS
N2145097820080522

11-http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/what-is-mc
cain-thinking-one-alaskans-perspective/

11-http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/515512.html>

12-http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-aip3-200
8sep03,0,6399468.story

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bjEVgGSWwg

13-http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?arti
cleid=1118416&srvc=2008campaign&position=5

14-http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30vee
p.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin

The people of New Orleans suffered a terrible natural disaster. And where was their president when they needed the government's help?











To the people of New Orleans,

LET THEM EAT CAKE!!

Please, when you go to the polls on November 4th, Remember This!!

THIS IS THE RESULT OF HATE CRIMES AND ETHNIC VIOLENCE:

3 Teens Charged In Immigrant Beating Death

(AP) Three white teens were charged Friday in what officials said was an epithet-filled fatal beating of an illegal Mexican immigrant in a small northeast Pennsylvania coal town.

Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16, and Colin J. Walsh, 17, were charged as adults with homicide and ethnic intimidation in the July 12 attack on Luis Ramirez.

A third teen, Derrick M. Donchak, 18, was charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and other offenses. All are from Shenandoah, where the attack occurred.

Ramirez, 25, was beaten to death after an argument with a group of youths that police said included high school football players. Authorities could not immediately say if any of the suspects were members of the team, but they confirmed that all three used ethnic slurs during the fight.

"As a result of this crime, a young man has lost his life. Many other lives have been devastated, and the borough of Shenandoah has been filled with tensions between many ethnic groups," Schuylkill County District Attorney James Goodman said.

"Now that the criminal charges have been filed, we must let this case be handled in the criminal justice system," he said.

Police said as many as six teens were involved in the fight, which ended with Ramirez in convulsions and foaming at the mouth. He died July 14 of head injuries.

Crystal Dillman, the victim's 24-year-old fiancee, who is white and grew up in Shenandoah, has said Ramirez was often called derogatory names, including "dirty Mexican," and told to return to his homeland.

"I plan on moving out of this town as fast as I can. Not because I'm scared. I just don't want to see my children have to deal with what their father dealt with," Dillman said.

Piekarsky and Walsh were being held without bail, while Donchak was held on $75,000 bail.

Lawyers for Piekarsky and Walsh said their clients were not guilty and that there was no evidence to support the homicide charges. They also said they would try to have the case removed to juvenile court.

Donchak declined comment.

© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

---

I only hope that anyone reading this will see the picture and think of their actions. I speak to a certain blogger with children especially(who I will not name) along with everyone else. THINK about what you are saying and what kind of a message you are sending to your children. It is very important that they know this kind of behavior is wrong and should never be tolerated. Racism is NEVER right and must be fought and destroyed.

As a result of racism and intolerance, this Hispanic man lost his life and the three losers accused of the crime are facing murder charges. It is absolutely disgusting that in our world today many still choose to be narrow minded and ignorant about other races and nationalities. And the worst part is this same man has been called names like "dirty Mexican" in the past and told to return to his homeland. According to the police, not just the three arrested, but up to SIX (6) morons are said to have been involved in the fight that lead to Mr. Ramirez's death. The other sad part about this story is the suspects are between the ages of 16 and 18. These are stil children spreading and spewing this hatred and violence. It is inexcusable and unacceptable.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Unfortunately I could not find photos of the suspects(I'd LOVE to plaster their little racist faces across the world) or any other info. I will definately be following this one as more developments come out.

THIS IS THE RESULT OF HATE CRIMES AND ETHNIC VIOLENCE:

3 Teens Charged In Immigrant Beating Death

(AP) Three white teens were charged Friday in what officials said was an epithet-filled fatal beating of an illegal Mexican immigrant in a small northeast Pennsylvania coal town.

Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16, and Colin J. Walsh, 17, were charged as adults with homicide and ethnic intimidation in the July 12 attack on Luis Ramirez.

A third teen, Derrick M. Donchak, 18, was charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and other offenses. All are from Shenandoah, where the attack occurred.

Ramirez, 25, was beaten to death after an argument with a group of youths that police said included high school football players. Authorities could not immediately say if any of the suspects were members of the team, but they confirmed that all three used ethnic slurs during the fight.

"As a result of this crime, a young man has lost his life. Many other lives have been devastated, and the borough of Shenandoah has been filled with tensions between many ethnic groups," Schuylkill County District Attorney James Goodman said.

"Now that the criminal charges have been filed, we must let this case be handled in the criminal justice system," he said.

Police said as many as six teens were involved in the fight, which ended with Ramirez in convulsions and foaming at the mouth. He died July 14 of head injuries.

Crystal Dillman, the victim's 24-year-old fiancee, who is white and grew up in Shenandoah, has said Ramirez was often called derogatory names, including "dirty Mexican," and told to return to his homeland.

"I plan on moving out of this town as fast as I can. Not because I'm scared. I just don't want to see my children have to deal with what their father dealt with," Dillman said.

Piekarsky and Walsh were being held without bail, while Donchak was held on $75,000 bail.

Lawyers for Piekarsky and Walsh said their clients were not guilty and that there was no evidence to support the homicide charges. They also said they would try to have the case removed to juvenile court.

Donchak declined comment.

© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

---

I only hope that anyone reading this will see the picture and think of their actions.  I speak to a certain blogger with children especially(who I will not name) along with everyone else.  THINK about what you are saying and what kind of a message you are sending to your children.  It is very important that they know this kind of behavior is wrong and should never be tolerated.  Racism is NEVER right and must be fought and destroyed. 

As a result of racism and intolerance, this Hispanic man lost his life and the three losers accused of the crime are facing murder charges.  It is absolutely disgusting that in our world today many still choose to be narrow minded and ignorant about other races and nationalities.  And the worst part is this same man has been called names like "dirty Mexican" in the past and told to return to his homeland.  According to the police, not just the three arrested, but up to SIX (6) morons are said to have been involved in the fight that lead to Mr. Ramirez's death.  The other sad part about this story is the suspects are between the ages of 16 and 18.  These are stil children spreading and spewing this hatred and violence.  It is inexcusable and unacceptable.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Unfortunately I could not find photos of the suspects(I'd LOVE to plaster their little racist faces across the world) or any other info.  I will definately be following this one as more developments come out.

So often we read anti-Hispanic/anti-immigrant rhetoric about the "illegal invaders" or the "dirty Mexicans" or any other slur about these people.  And it seems to get a free pass.  It's OK to belittle and abuse the brown people.

But what about them?  Do they not suffer as well?  Take the case of the Immigration Raid on the meat plant in Postville, Iowa awhile back.  About 700 people were caught working at the Agriprocessors meat packing plant.  After the May 12 raid, one-third of the town is missing and the plant lost almost all of its employees.  At one point, busing in homeless people from Texas to fill the openings.  Around 300 people were arrested and are currently serving five month sentences for identity theft.  And many women and children are currently awaitng court dates, as if they were common criminals.  One eample is Maria Cruz, whose husband was arrested and Cruz herself is without a job, wearing an ankle monitor and raising her three sons.  Is this how we treat people coming here for a better life?  As if they were animals or criminals?

Instead of focusing on the fact the workers at this plant were undocumented(as the media did) we should instead be focusing on the fact the conditions inside this plant were unsafe.  Two of the owners are facing charges for helping workers get identity information.  However, they need to face the consequences for the REAL crime here: the unsafe working conditions these people were subjected to.  The local pastor commented on the conditions of the plant, stating that it is "dirty and unsafe".  The pastor has also had to take people for medical care due to cuts and there were even children with missing fingers and hands. 

Remember this next time you decide to take a cheap shot at Hispanics in discussion about immigration.  Remember the people who are sufferign and who is at fault: BIG BUSINESS.   Big Business who intentionally helps these people get false information only for the purpose of forcing them to work in unsafe conditions for low pay.  Whether it is a sweat shop in China or an American Capitalist Exploiter trying to make an extra buck, this violation of human rights is wrong and must be stopped. 

These Hispanic people are NOT the threat to our country as some say.  The employers who mistreat and abuse their employees are the true threat.

---

(CBS)It was the largest single immigration raid in the country. There were 700 warrants and 300 arrests. Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant, lost three quarters of its workforce, reports CBS Evening News correspondent Russ Mitchell. And tiny Postville, Iowa lost one out of every three of its residents.

---

"I would say we lost a good third of our people," said Postville Mayor Bob Penrod. "It's a pretty substantial hit."

Businesses that had served the Hispanic community struggled or shuttered after the May 12 raid. The meatpacking plant scrambled to replace 700 workers -- at one point busing in the homeless from Texas.

"This has not created anything good for the community," said Father Paul Ouderkirk, a former pastor at St. Bridget's Church "It's created division, hurt, harm."

Most of the nearly 300 undocumented workers arrested are serving five months sentences for identity theft, but some 40 women along with their 90 children are still living in Postville, awaiting a court date. Unable to work, the families are completely dependent on St. Bridget's Catholic church for food, rent money and medical care. Maria Cruz is one of those women.

"They took my husband and left me with my three sons and I can't work," Cruz said. "It makes you feel humiliated and we didn't do anything bad, the only thing we did was come here to work."

Cruz has to wear a tracking bracelet 24 hours a day and cannot leave Iowa until her case comes to trial. Maria also told CBS News that after the raid, her last paycheck was missing 20 hours of overtime and she was not paid for two weeks of vacation time she had earned - money she desperately needs now.

Two Agriprocessor managers are facing indictment for assisting plant workers get fake identity cards. Now the federal Labor Department is investigating the plant for child labor violations; the equal Employment Oppotunity Commision is looking into sexual harrasment charges; and lawyers for the immigrants are working on a lawsuit over wage and hour violations. And over the years, there have been repeated charges of safety violations.

"The line behind us was dangerous, it was all sharp knives," Cruz said.

"It was the dirtiest, unsafest plant I've ever been in," Father Ouderkirk said.

Many of Ouderkirk's parishioners worked at Agriprocessors. He has toured the plant and says workers there were routinely mistreated.

"We're dealing with them -- we've seen them -- the kid without three fingers and the one with his hand missing, and when I was a pastor here I took how many people to the doctor with cuts," Ouderkirk said.

Agriprocessors denies employing underage workers, and would not discuss any pending litigation, but says it has begun to make changes in the plant.

"We have hired a compliance officer, that was reported to everybody, and I'm not going to get into the details, but I think it was reported, many new and improved systems," said Chaim Abraham with Adriprocessors.

Still, that's not enough for Fr. Paul.

"They have a responsibility to this whole community that they never lived up to," Ouderkirk said. "They painted a good picture, but their actions spoke a different story."

 

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Sometimes when we touch…

 

The honesty’s too much…

 

And I have to close my eyes and hide…

 

I wanna hold you til I die…

 

Til we both break down and cry…

 

I wanna hold you til the fear in me subsides.

 

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John McCain and George W Bush are in bed together!!

Voting for John McCain is voting for a third term of George W. Bush!!

John McCain is trying to put distance between himself and Bush, but he cannot hide the fact that he and Bush are best buddies.

*John McCain's positions on the War in Iraq are almost IDENTICAL.
   -John McCain wants to "stay the course" of George Bush's failure in Iraq.
   -John McCain has stated that he wants to keep us in Iraq for 100 years!!
   -John McCain has joked about bombing Iran. 
   -John McCain will continue George Bush's mission to attack Iran.

*John McCain once opposed the George Bush tax cuts for the rich.  Now that Johnny is running for president, he suddenly wants to make the very same tax cuts he opposed PERMANENT.  Repeat after me: FLIP FLOP!!

*John McCain wants to drill for oil offshore and in Northern Alaska.
   -Not only is this dangerous to our enviroment, but it will have NO EFFECT on gas prices.
   -More oil(doesn't matter where it is from) will NOT lower prices.  We would still be processing the SAME amount of oil in the SAME refineries. 
   -And, several years back, John McCain voted AGAINST a bill that would keep oil from US drilling in the US.

 

*John McCain wanted us to drill here and sell it to other countries!!!  He wants us to destroy our environment just to make money.

 

This November, vote NO for this oil wh0re and his oil wh0re buddies!!

Let's see what GEORGE W BUSH does with his hands during patriotic events:

It seems that eveyrone but Georgie knows where to put their hands. 

Once again, Gerogie has his hand in the wrong place.  And how comical is this one?  Bush in graduation attire.  Methinks he flunked Anatomy.  Must've been drunk that day.  Your heart is in you chest(if he had one!!)

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Now let's take a look at what BARACK OBAMA does with his hands during patriotic events:

Much better.  His hand is in the correct location.

Once again, Barack Obama gets it.  Looks like someone didn't sleep through college(or kindergarten).

The lesson here: don't believe all the BS you get from emails.   Evil people out there have started a desperate inbox-filling campaign to derail Obama's presidential campaign.   They have failed.   Look who our Democratic Nominee is.  

 

VIDEO: T. Boone Pickens Wind Energy Commercial

Get with the program John McCain!!  John McCain's main campaign talking point has been "we need to expand drilling here in America".  Like a damn parakeet he's been squawking that mantra over and over.  The dangers and risks of this are nowhere near the benefits.  Oil prices would hardly change.  the only "change" would be an increased risk of destroying marine life with offshore drilling and killing animals in the habitats in Alaska.  John McCain's other dangerous, pseudo-plan is lowering or eliminating the gas tax.  The result of this foolishness will be our roads and highways sinking into further disrepair.  Remember the Minnesota bridge collapse? 

This election, tell John McCain he John McCAN'T be our president!!  Someone who is that out of touch with reality and that big of an oil wh0re does not deserve the title of commander in chief.

 

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About T. Boone Pickens:

T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman, BP Capital Management, is principally responsible for the formulation of the energy futures investment strategy of the BP Capital Commodity Fund and the BP Capital Equity Fund. With more than $4 billion under management, BP Capital manages one of the nation’s most successful energy-oriented investment funds. Pickens frequently utilizes his wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry in the evaluation of potential equity investments and energy sector themes. He has not been shy in predicting oil and gas prices and — more often than not — has been uncannily accurate.  http://www.pickensplan.com/about/

 

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America is addicted to foreign oil.

It's an addiction that threatens our economy, our environment and our national security. It touches every part of our daily lives and ties our hands as a nation and a people.

The addiction has worsened for decades and now it's reached a point of crisis.

In 1970, we imported 24% of our oil.
Today it's nearly 70% and growing.

As imports grow and world prices rise, the amount of money we send to foreign nations every year is soaring. At current oil prices, we will send $700 billion dollars out of the country this year alone — that's four times the annual cost of the Iraq war.

Projected over the next 10 years the cost will be $10 trillion — it will be the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind.

America uses a lot of oil. Every day 85 million barrels of oil are produced around the world. And 21 million of those are used here in the United States.

That's 25% of the world's oil demand. Used by just 4% of the world's population.

Can't we just produce more oil?

World oil production peaked in 2005. Despite growing demand and an unprecedented increase in prices, oil production has fallen over the last three years. Oil is getting more expensive to produce, harder to find and there just isn't enough of it to keep up with demand.

The simple truth is that cheap and easy oil is gone.

What's the good news?

The United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind power.

Studies from around the world show that the Great Plains states are home to the greatest wind energy potential in the world — by far.

The Department of Energy reports that 20% of America's electricity can come from wind. North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country.

Today's wind turbines stand up to 410 feet tall, with blades that stretch 148 feet in length. The blades collect the wind's kinetic energy. In one year, a 3-megawatt wind turbine produces as much energy as 12,000 barrels of imported oil.

Wind power currently accounts for 48 billion kWh of electricity a year in the United States — enough to serve more than 4.5 million households. That is still only about 1% of current demand, but the potential of wind is much greater.

A 2005 Stanford University study found that there is enough wind power worldwide to satisfy global demand 7 times over — even if only 20% of wind power could be captured.

Building wind facilities in the corridor that stretches from the Texas panhandle to North Dakota could produce 20% of the electricity for the United States at a cost of $1 trillion. It would take another $200 billion to build the capacity to transmit that energy to cities and towns.

That's a lot of money, but it's a one-time cost. And compared to the $700 billion we spend on foreign oil every year, it's a bargain.

An economic revival for rural America.

Developing wind power is an investment in rural America.

To witness the economic promise of wind energy, look no further than Sweetwater, Texas.

Sweetwater was typical of many small towns in middle-America. With a shortage of good jobs, the youth of Sweetwater were leaving in search of greater opportunities. And the town's population dropped from 12,000 to under 10,000.

When a large wind power facility was built outside of town, Sweetwater experienced a revival. New economic opportunity brought the town back to life and the population has grown back up to 12,000.

In the Texas panhandle, just north of Sweetwater, is the town of Pampa, where T. Boone Pickens' Mesa Power is currently building the largest wind farm in the world.

At 4,000 megawatts — the equivalent combined output of four large coal-fire plants — the production of the completed Pampa facility will double the wind energy output of the United States.

In addition to creating new construction and maintenance jobs, thousands of Americans will be employed to manufacture the turbines and blades. These are high skill jobs that pay on a scale comparable to aerospace jobs.

Plus, wind turbines don't interfere with farming and grazing, so they don't threaten food production or existing local economies.

A cheap new replacement for foreign oil. Cleaner

Natural gas is the cleanest transportation fuel available today.

According to the California Energy Commission, critical greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are 23% lower than diesel and 30% lower than gasoline.

Natural gas vehicles (NGV) are already available and combine top performance with low emissions. The natural gas Honda Civic GX is rated as the cleanest production vehicle in the world.

According to NGVAmerica, there are more than 7 million NGVs in use worldwide, but only 150,000 of those are in the United States.

The EPA estimates that vehicles on the road account for 60% of carbon monoxide pollution and around one-third of hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions in the United States. As federal and state emissions laws become more stringent, many requirements will be unattainable with conventionally fueled vehicles.

Since natural gas is significantly cleaner than petroleum, NGVs are increasing in popularity. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach recently announced that 16,800 old diesel trucks will be replaced, and half of the new vehicles will run on alternatives such as natural gas.

Cheaper

Natural gas is significantly less expensive than gasoline or diesel. In places like Utah and Oklahoma, prices are less than $1 a gallon. To see fueling stations and costs in your area, check out cngprices.com.

Domestic

Natural gas is our country's second largest energy resource and a vital component of our energy supply. 98% of the natural gas used in the United States is from North America. But 70% of our oil is purchased from foreign nations.

Natural gas is one of the cleanest, safest and most useful forms of energy — residentially, commercially and industrially. The natural gas industry has existed in the United States for over 100 years and continues to grow.

Domestic natural gas reserves are twice that of petroleum. And new discoveries of natural gas and ongoing development of renewable biogas are continually adding to existing reserves.

While it is a cheap, effective and versatile fuel, less than 1% of natural gas is currently used for transportation.

The Mechanics

We currently use natural gas to produce 22% of our electricity. Harnessing the power of wind to generate electricity will give us the flexibility to shift natural gas away from electricity generation and put it to use as a transportation fuel — reducing our dependence on foreign oil by more than one-third.

How do we get it done?

The Pickens Plan is a bridge to the future — a blueprint to reduce foreign oil dependence by harnessing domestic energy alternatives, and buy us time to develop even greater new technologies.

Building new wind generation facilities and better utilizing our natural gas resources can replace more than one-third of our foreign oil imports in 10 years. But it will take leadership.

On January 20th, 2009, a new President will take office.

We're organizing behind the Pickens Plan now to ensure our voices will be heard by the next administration.

Together we can raise a call for change and set a new course for America's energy future in the first hundred days of the new presidency — breaking the hammerlock of foreign oil and building a new domestic energy future for America with a focus on sustainability.

You can start changing America's future today by supporting the Pickens Plan. Join now.

MORE INFO: http://www.pickensplan.com/