NYC Protest Against Media Bias: Friday, April 11, 8am, 2008

Here’s the information about tomorrow’s NYC protest in Rockefeller Plaza (fitting, isn’t it) organized by HillaryClintonForum.net and Veterans4Hill.com. I look forward to seeing you there. Anyone have an extra sign I can use?

Attention Hillary Supporters!

Join The Protest Against Media Bias, Hate Speech, and Voter Suppression!

New York City — Friday, April 11 (8am), 2008 @ West 48th St & Rockefeller Plaza

We demand an END to Media Bias!

We demand an END to Hate Speech!

We demand an END to Prejudice against Hillary!

We demand Florida & Michigan votes COUNT as cast!

We demand an END to Rigging of the Democratic Primary!

We are standing up and demanding an end to these abuses of power! Our protest signs & banners should: Support Hillary Clinton, Protest Media/MSNBC Bias, Protest Hate Speech & Prejudice against Hillary, Demand Michigan & Florida Votes Count, Protest Rigging of the Democratic Primary Election!

This is a peaceful protest. We do not represent Hillary Clinton but as supporters of her politics we embody her values and accordingly, must conduct ourselves respectfully at all times. Anti-Obama or Anti-McCain signs are NOT welcome.

This protest is not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, the official Hillary Clinton for President campaign and is being independently organized, funded and operated.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
www.hillaryclintonforum.net
admin@hillaryclintonforum.net

Media Bias Against Hillary Exposed: Watch This

If you have any doubts about the sexist, misogynist treatment of Hillary by the mainstream media, watch this clip compilation of a gaggle of “news” show moderators, pundits, and commentators.

It pains my heart that, after watching the same thing I watched, some YouTube commenters are just as far away from realization as before they viewed it. They’re blind to their unconscious misogyny.

Which points to something I’ve been wondering about lately regarding our capacity for clearly seeing and evaluating the candidates: The way in which each person in this country and worldwide views the candidates is based on many filters. Our filters are based in who we are, our circumstances, the life we’ve lived, influences we’ve had and still have. People are passionate about this election, thank God! But can you really convince anyone to have a clear mind, to wake up, and be free of their prejudices–sexism, racism, or any -ism–if they remain unconscious of them? Isn’t that the challenge, the whole challenge of living, of human nature?

Boy, this feels pretty pessimistic for me. What is the best way to challenge blind assumptions? Time to push away from the computer and take a walk into Spring. I think that’s the optimal state to begin having that internal and external exploration and conversation. Do you? Time to meditate. Take a breath. The sun’s out. Inhale. Ahhh. Exhale. Ahhh.

Voter Numbers Missing from DNC Website

There must have been a robbery. The voter numbers seem to be missing from the Democratic National Committee’s website. Where are they? Why are the popular vote and delegate count totals missing?

Wouldn’t you think that the DNC would post the totals on their website and describe the race?

What if the martians came down (or escaped from Area 51) and asked (in an instantaneous translation into English),

What’s going on here?

Who’s in the race?

What are the totals?

Who’s winning?

Shouldn’t the party who sponsors the race be able to at least point those curious martians to the facts by having it on their website? Is this how they usually handle things? After all, it is the Democratic party home, and one would think that they’d host their own tallies. (If someone can find them–the tallies, the martians, or the DNC–please clue me in. I’ve searched high and low.)

To make a point in an earlier blog post, I quoted the voter results with and without FL that I found on a Google map, which sourced the Boston Globe and a political blog. I found it to be the clearest depiction of the simple numbers. In looking back to write a reply, thought I’d resource the numbers again and, not finding them on the dem.org website, searched Google for hours for other sources. The numbers all varied and made me dizzy. Where is the actual popular vote count to date, and how could it differ so much?

The fact that the DNC (read: Howard Dean) is subversively MIA on this is shouting its non-biased complicity in perpetuating a weird state of affairs.

Quien es mas liberal? (Or, who moved the finish line?)

Has anyone noticed? In the last week, Hillary has:

• Advocated in front of Congress to withdraw from the war in Iraq

• Supported increased funding to find a cure in our lifetime for breast cancer, supports autism research

• Called on President Bush to boycott the Olympic opening ceremonies, in a protest for justice in Tibet.

She, unlike Bill (sorry Bill, but this is how I remember it) is taking a strong stand for Tibet. Thank God! It’s about time! Finally! Oppressed monks and committed followers, keepers of the flame for this wise and ancient religion are being heard, at least seen on TV (yes, they’re being killed for it, too). Potentially the most powerful woman in the world is standing with you!

For Hillary’s strong stand on this and more, go to www.HillaryClinton.com.

But, (sigh) the Media (oh, yes, here I go again) instead discusses how one poll–one–shows that Obama is closing in on Hillary, and hosts five guests, besides the opinionated moderator, to slam the point home. They follow up with computer graphics depicting his gain on her over time. Then, just like Hillary alluded to during the debates, Obama comes out a day later with a Tibet statement that mirrors hers, and MSNBC calls it Breaking News. What?

We haven’t heard too much this week about Hillary dropping out of the race, have we? It seems to me that when you call a horse race–haven’t been since I was a kid in the fifties with my parents at Santa Anita, exiciting–yes, they’re on TV but I don’t watch. I’ll just reminisce about Seabiscuit: When it’s neck and neck, you’re calling who’s ahead, who’s gaining, but you’re not pronouncing the winner. Whoever’s ahead, “. . . and it’s Clinton by a head, Obama’s moving up, but it’s Clinton, Clinton, Clinton. It’s neck and neck, back and forth.”

You don’t tell your challengers to drop out. You don’t tell horses like FL and MI they can’t race the most important race of their lives. And you can’t change the finish line! If the finish line is 2024 delegate votes, a winner can’t be declared until someone crosses it!

Who’s Presidential? You Decide . . . What a Concept!

Yesterday, April 8, 2008, in the Congressional Hearings, Hillary questioned General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. She brought into her questioning some major points that were clear and un-convoluted:

1) Because of US involvement in Iraq, we do not have the military resources to commit to other places in the world.

2) There is a move by President Bush to make an executive agreement to extend troop stays in Iraq without any plan to submit it to Congress for a vote.

3) What the heck are we doing in Basra?

4) Veterans who are returning after multiple tours of duty have extensive injuries including extreme symptoms of PTSD. What are we doing to help?

Check it out, and see what you think from CapNews.net on YouTube:

You can find Obama’s clip on their site as well. You decide. I stand by my previous “Hillary was ‘poetic'” post; I found him stammering, cold, and uneasy to follow versus how he gives a speech.

In contrast, in measured tones, Hillary was holding up the mirror of the bigger world picture and a vision of compassion in her questioning. She’s the only candidate who outright said during her turn that she believed we should get out ASAP with the best extrication plan possible.

Who do you think clearly conveyed their message and questions? Who do you think is the more liberal of the two?

“Poetic and Well Done” says Chris Matthews of Clinton in Congress

“Poetic and well-done!” is Chris Matthews’ assessment of Hillary’s questioning of General Petraeus in Congress today. I must have died and gone to, uh, he-e-aven.

I didn’t hear Hillary’s entire segment, and honestly, okay, I’m getting ready to go to an event, but I could not understand a word that Obama said or a question that he asked. Well, most of his questioning was more like a speech or his own platform, but it sounded like a bunch of words, technically correct, but hard to make out — and I’m a pretty smart gal — and without much heart. I try to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that was also my impression of Obama during the debates. Good speechmaker, but during an actual one on one, or running a meeting, I felt his style might be a bit inaccessible, a little harsh.

Whereas, the supposedly hard to get along with, divisive Clinton, makes her points clearly, yet connected to life. She has definitely engaged, formed alliances, and crafted legislation with colleagues from across the aisle. She’s garnered public respect from lawmakers and journalists who’d previously tried to bring “Bill and Hill” to their knees over the years. During this afternoon’s committee questioning, Hillary seemed more liberal and ready to withdraw from Iraq than Obama did.

I’m going to see if I can find a link to that Matthews segment. Now would be a good time for Hillary to sign up for that Matthews’ college tour!!! I wonder if he’ll fawn over her the same way he did over Obama. I wish I had that tour interview (anyone?), but it was the equivalent of boxers or briefs. So sweet, that Chris. What a fan! Anyway, I digress. I’m a forgiving woman: For today, I’ll take that baby step of yours where you called Hillary Clinton “poetic” and characterized her performance as “well-done!”

The Officers and The Lady

As John McCain boasted ten days or so ago:

“Americans should be proud that they led the way in removing a vicious, predatory dictator and opening the possibility of a free and stable Iraq,” the statement continues. “Americans should be proud that once we implemented the surge and new counterinsurgency strategy, a dire situation has been dramatically improved. And, Americans know that the consequences of failure would leave our nation less secure for generations to come.”

Really, John McCain! “A free and stable Iraq”? You mean that you could walk down the street during your visit just like anywhere in America? After all that money and those lives lost of ours, of theirs, and a crumbling economy, infrastructure, and educational system here?

We’re done, we were done before we started. We made it a hotbed of terrorism. If there was a problem in Iraq, our actions have made it far worse. How about Basra, and Mutatada El Sadr’s call for cease fire after we began bombing? Yes, they hollered wolf, but who was in charge? He was and still is, and his supporters are part of the Iraqi congress. Then, as if knowing Petraeus would testify to the surge’s success, the last ten days of surge seemed to strengthen the hand of the resistance, who repeatedly ripped bombs inside of the “safe” Green Zone, as if to thumb their noses at that assertion, and provide strength to all those who would have us fold our losing hand.

Let’s build our country up to the shining light it used to be for other countries around the world that respected us, instead of pouring it down the drain there. Greeted as liberators with cheers and flowers, my foot!

34 retired Admirals and Generals including two Joint Chiefs of Staff have endorsed Hillary and say that her world experience and five years on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and her clear plan make her the best candidate. That’s despite McCain’s war prisoner bragging rights and Obama’s claim that Hillary voted wrong.

You can watch it here: Go to http://youtube.com/watch?v=HOE2YumlXO4 to favorite, rate and comment.

Instead of covering these heavy-duty endorsements, the media decided to cover Hillary’s First Lady schedule as if it was a tea party, like her claims were all fluff. In fact, Irish women who were part of the Irish/England peace negotiations are on record saying that Hillary’s presence made a huge difference. But who does the media quote? Some men who deny it. Now doesn’t that just fit the bill? Meanwhile, Obama rings in about his doubts that Hillary could be a strong Commander-In-Chief.

So, the media ran with those stories instead of the Officers. As to why is a confirmation of all I’ve been saying till now: People–some men, some women–are just scared as hell to have an intelligent, dedicated, deep-thinking woman in power. It challenges so many things about the prevailing world order and culture that it’s safer to demonize Hillary than succumb to her competence.

It’s a tricky game to get drawn into — this one upmanship about national defense and ending the war. Hillary and Obama are drawing record numbers to the polls, primarily because this country is war-weary, which it wasn’t (unbelievably) in the last two elections. Many baby boomers, like me, are still weary from Viet Nam forty years ago.