Pictures...

Mom finally put one of the pictures I took of Robert Redford on her blog. It really illustrates how close we were, even without the paparazzi zoom lens. It looks like he's looking right at me.

"I never thought I'd want Richard Nixon back in office..."

Quotable quotes from yesterday's rally for Nevada and the environment held at the Rainbow Library here in Las Vegas. There's two twists to this story, and they both involve my mom. I'll get to those first, then on to the political message after.

On Tuesday I received an e-mail from Moveon.org that this rally would be taking place and would feature Robert Redford. I immediately picked up the phone to tell mom he was going to be in town. Well, brag I didn't because she decided that night she'd be on a plane bound for Las Vegas to attend the event herself. Mom has been a lifelong Redford fan, and would do practically anything to see him. And she did. She boarded a flight to Vegas yesterday morning at 8:40 and arrived here at 9:50. We ran some errands, had lunch and headed to the library for the event. We arrived at noon, even though the event wasn't starting until two.

Front row seats, of course. My mother wouldn't have it any other way. The event, which gathered about two hundred people, was held in the library's amphitheatre. Mom came equipped with her super-duper paparazzi camera with the "I can count the wrinkles on your face" zoom lens. It didn't matter "Bob" was a mere 25 feet from us, it had to be the zoom lens. Hopefully she'll upload some of her pix to her website and I can link you there. The event lasted about an hour with several people speaking, Robert included.

Afterwards, we went back to my house, rested for a bit, then hit the road to the airport, again, as she had a flight out at 7:35 last night. It was a whirlwind day, especially for her, but she got to see Robert Redford up close and personal, and she got to here him speak about the environment and Nevada. Me to mom, "Was it worth coming?" "Yes and no." She was miffed he only signed three or four autographs then high-tailed it out of there for an interview with a local TV station. In the end, it was a fun, spur of the moment trip and I'm glad she came, even though she was here a short nine-and-a-half hours.

Now to the event itself. Recently the Conservation League of Nevada was formed as a bipartisan effort to support pro-environment legislation and act as a unified front for the state on environmental concerns. Yesterday was a kick-off event promoting it, and REP, Republicans for Evironmental Protections. The gathering was bipartisan and featured speakers from both parties, but there was a lot of Bush bashing anyway. Here's why: Since George W. Bush took office in January, 2000, he has rolled back, reduced funding for, eliminated and delayed over three hundred different policies, acts and pieces of legislation to protect the environment. Martha Marks, president of REP, said she never thought she'd want Nixon back in office. Although some in the crowd booed her for that, the point was taken. Even Nixon, as vile as he may be, has a better environmental track record than the Bush.

The event didn't have anything to do with campaigning for one candidate or another, it was all about the environment. Martha encouraged Republicans to remind Bush how important the environment is, and Redford reminded all the choice was there's to put the environment in the forefront. In the end, the information was useful and helped paint a real picture of the danger our environment is in under the current administration.

A friend of mine commented along the lines of, "Yeah, the environment is more important than the war." Well actually, it's equally important. That's what saddens me with the upcoming election. People are blinded by this war, when in reality, we are facing many dangers here at home that won't be helped or hurt by what happened in Iraq. Iraq is a real quagmire, but at the same time, our Commander in Chief needs to pay attention to what's happening at home, with issues like education, health care, jobs and the environment. You can't be President and ride out your term on one effort... you have an entire nation to run.

Candid candidate...

I stayed up and watched the Late Show with David Letterman last night, something I don't normally do. I'm glad I did. John Kerry was there, and he was the only guest for the evening minus Green Day, the musical guest. David asked straight forward questions, the ones I'm sure most Americans have on their minds, and Kerry gave good, to the point, candid answers. If Kerry could run his entire interview with Letterman in an ad, it would be the best campaign spot for the season and could nearly guarantee him a win.

As a voter, I was satisfied with what Kerry had to say. He wasn't uptight and staunch, he let out some jokes, many of which were quite funny and seemed to have a good time. That's not a side of Kerry we get to see that often. Which is a shame, because he's good at it. The man is smart and quick on his toes. Here are some of the highlights of the evening for me:

-- What does Kerry make of the Republicans calling him a flip-flopper? Kerry responded by addressing the issue of his voting to go to war, then not supporting it. When Kerry voted to authorize the President to take us to war, he did so believing when the President said war would be a last resort, it would be a last resort. Kerry also believed Bush would follow UN guidelines and create the multi-national force that would be necessary to win such a war. Bush did none of the above. It's not only Kerry and other Democrats who are miffed over being lied to, there are plenty of Republicans upset about it too. It is clear now we were led to war under false pretenses. We know the President only acted on the best intelligence he had, but the truth is, with or without that evidence, the United States was not in imminent danger. There was still time to follow UN guidelines and create a true coalition before going to war.

My own take on the "flip-flopper" issue is this: Kerry has been a Senator for 20 years. He has voted one way on an issue, and another way on the same issue in his time in political office. Wouldn't you hope that someone would grow over 20 years in public office? Of course his opinions are going to change, and hopefully they change for the better. I've always thought progress is a good thing, and a 20 year Senator who has thought differently about an issue a time or two is one that lacks arrogance, exudes intelligence and isn't afraid to admit their mistakes. Something our current President can't claim.

-- Why did Kerry vote to go to war, but then vote no on authorizing another $87 billion to win the war? Kerry said he saw what was happening with the money. Nearly $20 billion of that can no longer be accounted for and another $40 billion is going to Halliburton and it's subsidiaries. We know now Halliburton has over charged for many of their services, and isn't it funny Dick Cheney used to work for them? Congress has now barred Halliburton from receiving any more contracts in the effort to rebuild Iraq.

-- The Top 10 List - Bush Tax Proposals:

10) No estate tax for families with at least two US Presidents.
9) W-2 form is now Dubya-2 form.
8) Under simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton.
7) Reduced earned income credit is so unfair, it makes me want to tear out my lustrous, well groomed hair.
6) Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off US Constitution.
5) Texas Rangers can take a business loss for trading Sammy Sosa.
4) Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa to cover the whole damn thing.
3) Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent.
2) $100 penalty for pronouncing it "nuclear" instead of "nucular".
1) Bush gets deduction for mortgaging our future.

On CBS, Dan Rather and George W. Bush...

I am sure many of you have heard in recent days about the fallout CBS is receiving over a story it aired last week on 60 Minutes II regarding George W. Bush's service in the military. We all know W's service record has some holes in it, both sides claiming different reasons for those gaps. CBS, however, uncovered information that was not favorable to the President. Yesterday, however, it retracted that story saying they could not confirm documents they used in the story and were deliberately misled by the informant. Because of that, 40 congress men and women have signed a letter addressed to CBS News claiming they are deceptive. I'll give you a moment to laugh. Congress, claiming a news organization is deceptive? You're kidding. Before these men and women of the law start throwing stones in glass houses, it would be interesting to determine just how many of them are Republicans, and then determine how many of them feel Fox News really is "fair and balanced."

We all know the media in this country and the stories they produce are to be taken with a grain of salt. It has become clear there are news organizations that decidedly lean left or right, and one needs to guage the information they receive from any one source. I'd like to know what those 40 congress men and women have to say about the recent report by the CIA claiming the situation in Iraq to be most dire -- all the while the President hops and skips around the country claiming progress is being made in Iraq.

What progress? I don't believe everything I see and hear on TV, but when you have a government that is just as deceptive, how are you to know what is truly going on? I believe there is no meaningful progress being made in Iraq. If there were, the number of westerners being kidnapped would be decreasing, not increasing, and the safety of our soldiers there would be increasing. So CBS was duped. But the scary thing is, George W. Bush is trying to dupe the nation.

Disclaimer...

Many of you know I am very passionate about political issues, and I am more charged with the upcoming election then I have ever been. Most of you also know I am a bleeding liberal, and a very proud one at that. One of my favorite things to write about on my blog are political issues, and I often feel my best writing occurs when I feel deeply about the subject in which I am writing about. So it is with that, and the approaching election that you'll probably see more politically motivated entries on my blog. I want you to read those entries, and I want you to respond. I love the debate that is sparked in political discussions. I also enjoy debating the issues with those who have a different opinion than I do. Please keep reading, and please keep responding.

What liberal media?

It was no surprise Sunday when the Las Vegas Review Journal endorsed George W. Bush for President. This from the same newspaper that several months ago decided against printing a marriage announcement for a gay couple residing in Las Vegas that had been married in San Francisco. My question is this: "Why would a newspaper go to such lengths to alienate significant portions of their readership with an endorsement like this one?

Some things to keep in mind: The political affiliation majority recently shifted in Nevada, whereas 52% of registered voters are Democrats and 48% Republican. Statistically, our state is evenly divided. But I'd be willing to bet there are more Democrats in Las Vegas than Republicans. A significant part of the working population in Las Vegas are part of organized labor, that is, they belong to a union. Union members generally vote for democrats. I know these are generalizations, but these are generalizations that play out at every election.

Also, Nevada is currently in one of it's biggest struggles ever: trying to keep nuclear waste from entering Yucca Mountain. This is significant because while campaigning in 1999, George W. Bush promised Nevada he'd only approve the Yucca Mountain project if it were based on sound science. Even the EPA has quibbled over the "sound science" Bush made his decision on when he approved the project last year. He blatantly lied to Nevadans in 1999. Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, how could you support a president who has put your safety on the back burner all under pressure from big industry? Fortunately, the EPA has put a lid on the project until more studies can be done to determine if Yucca truly is a safe storage location for high level nuclear waste.

Yucca Mountain is located a mere 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The LVRJ has effectively endorsed Yucca Mountain by endorsing Bush, alienating the majority of its readership since Democrats and Republicans alike are unified on fighting Yucca Mountain. This unity puts the state's Republicans in an interesting position: do you vote for a man who is determined to push Yucca Mountain through, or do you vote against your party for a man who has a 15 year voting record against Yucca Mountain? The choice for me is clear, but that goes without saying.

I know the war in Iraq is the kicker for many voters. Some love the way Bush defied our allies and went after Iraq, and some loath him for his arrogance and go-it-alone attitude. But put that aside, and what do you have? A man who has dumped record amounts of money into education, but sadly, the majority of that money has gone to administer his failed "No Child Left Behind" act. Of the millions Bush increased the education budget, the percentage that went to the classroom is among the lowest in recent years.

We have a man who is determined to stack the Supreme Court with Christian, right wing judges that will push through Bush's religious agenda. Abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research come to mind. Bush and Cheney are continuously telling us we are a freer people, yet they've eroded our civil liberties more than any other administration in history. Our nation is in a more precarious state than every before. Now is the time to change direction, win back our allies, fight terrorism on a global, unified front and finish the war in Iraq.

I read in the LVRJ's online edition today some of the Letters-to-the-editor that came in in regards to the Newspaper's endorsement. I especially liked the one by PJ Levine. You can check those out here.

Dad part two...

Well, I was able to take time off of work this month to continue helping my mom take care of my dad. He had his epideral, but it didn't do anything for the pain. We knew that might be the case. The only good news is dad's surgery is scheduled for Monday. He can hardly wait, although he is starting to get a little nervous. The doctor has already decided to keep him there overnight, just to keep an eye on him. In the interim, the pain has gotten worse and dad can't leave bed now. Before, he could get up and move about a few minutes at a time, and he'd spend the whole day in his La-Z-Boy nearly reclined all the way. That was just enough to keep pressure off his back and still be able to be in the living room and watch TV. He told me yesterday his bed is the only place comfortable now.

I returned to Vegas on Thursday to take care of some stuff here and will be going back to G-ville on Monday to help mom with dad's recovery. Apparently the recovery should be fairly quick, and about a month after surgery dad will start physical therapy to strengthen his back and abs muscles to help prevent further injury.

It hasn't been all work for me while I'm home. The good news is there are so many friends there from school still that I've been able to hang out with some of them. I also got to spend some time with my brother. We went to a Red Sox game on Wednesday night in Oakland... that was a lot of fun. I've never been to a pro anything other than NASCAR. It would have been great if mom and dad could've come along, but it gives us all something to look forward to for when dad is better. He already says he's coming to Vegas in October. He better not be bluffing! I just hope his recovery goes as planned and the pain is relieved in short order. He's definitely looking forward to that.