Al Gore

I have been covering to some degree the terrible flooding in the Midwest and describing how the levees breaking, leading to the flooding of towns and cities in Wisconsin and Iowa, are a direct result of deliberate Republican neglect of America's infrastructure. Republicans prefer giving your tax money to Halliburton, Exxon and Blackwater than using that money to fix our roads, bridges and levees. This morning on NPR I heard as many as two dozen levees are in danger of breaking as flood waters flow downstream along the Mississippi. A huge chunk of the Midwest has been affected. These levees should have been maintained! This began as a natural disaster, but Republican neglect of the levees is responsible for the scale of the disaster...just like in New Orleans.

Democrats vote for funding to maintain our infrastructure. Republicans vote against that funding. That means, when Republicans are in control, our levees, roads and bridges decay, leading to disaster. But the dedication of Democrats and the neglect by Republicans goes deeper than that.

As the floodwaters rose in the Midwst, Barack Obama grabbed a shovel and helped:

Where was McCain? Where was Bush?

Is this too little too late?

A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama. From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States.

Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change to America.

This moment and this election are too important to let pass without taking action.

The endorsement will be streamed live tonight at 8:30 p.m. EDT at a rally at Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Just go to http://www.BarackObama.com and they'll have a link to the streaming page.

It is the place where John Edwards also announced his endorsement. Am wondering if, due to the demographics of the state the Obama camopaign is putting their eggs in the Michigan basket and leave Florida up for a tossing win.

I am not sure if that is a rogue or dangerous strategy, given Florida's history of stolen elections.

I am deeply honored October 12, 2007 : 8:32 AM

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis -- a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.
My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

Who knew big Al had a blog? Would that make him the first President blogger ... or would that be John Edwards' honor?

This one is going to make the right wing nutosphere go absolutely bat shit --along with a few liberals and progressive. Last night during the Latino Netroots podcast Nic mentioned Al Gore's imminent departure to Europe. I said it was to go pick up his Noble Peace prize.

Boy, you would have thought I said he was going out there to skin some puppies.

La Bloguera brought up the excellent point that Mr. Gore was vice-president when Clinton bombed Sudan but also when the Clinton administration passed the horrid anti-immigration laws that we are now contending with. Check out her rant at about 41 minutes into podcast.

BTW : I am listening to the podcast right now and it's really, really fun.

Check out the committee's press release : The Nobel Peace Prize for 2007; and another naysayer at What has Al Gore done for world peace?

Last night at Nic's Latino Netroots podcast #2 we talked about a whole variety of topics.

Roberto Lovato gave us an in-depth report about the 2nd Annual Latino Congreso.

Marisa Treviño gave us her perspective on how traditional media coverage of immigration and other important issues impact the debate.

Louis Pagán helped us sort out ways in which the Latino blogosphere could more efficiently get our message out and influence the political discourse about issues of importance to Latinos.

I chimed in on some of the historical issues involving US involvement in Latino America and how that interventionism is reflected in the way latino influentials are treated by the political machine here in the US.

La Bloguera cracked us up telling us of the Mexican ambassador's awful adventure “outside the walls” of the White House during the celebrations for Hispanic “Hysteria” Month.

Chequéalo.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg used his first public appearance since announcing switching from the Republican Party to being an independent, a press conference celebrating the alleged success of his 311 program, to showcase his policy creativity to the media.

Bloomberg’s aware that his leaving the Republican Party would confirm to the media, his current constituents and potential presidential voters, that he’s pursuing an independent Presidential candidacy, despite saying wink, wink, I’m not running, and knew the world be watching his first appearance after making public his official political independence. This is why Bloomberg is using a press conference honoring 311, a program that he is particularly but unjustifiably proud of, as the location of his personal Presidential Debutante Ball.

Bloomberg hoped touting 311 success would perpetuate the myth that he’s a non-partisan problem solver. But the emperor has no clothes. 311 is useless.

For non-New York readers, 311, which New Yorker City residents can dial like 411 directory assistance or 911 emergency services, is an information system designed to help people navigate the government maze. Sometimes it’s useful, mostly it’s not, often directing people to call the same agency whose action or lack of such inspired the 311 call to begin with. But the primary reason why 311 is a joke is that Bloomberg doesn’t let 311 operators have internet access. I first mentioned this in the blogosphere in a comment on Andrew Rasiej’s Huffington Post blog in 2005. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-rasiej/the-power-of-many_b_5892.htm...

You might not recognize the words at first, but it's still the same old tune. And if we get this one right, our Bilderbergers handlers good friends in gummint have promised us that we can all hold hands and sing "Kumbayah" next.

Oh, why can't everyone tell
A statesman from a thug
Who's got our telephones bugged
A frat boy who took drugs
Who Lays down with thieves
The one who deceived
About the Dubya MDs

How did you get us to trade
Our heroes for shrubs
Democrats for Repubs
A stain we never could scrub
A living, breathing oil spill
How did we reject
Surplus safety net
For nine trillion in debt

How I wish
How I wish you were Gore
It's been two lost terms swimming in a cesspool
Of malfeasance and shame
Trashing all of the Bill of Rights
And starting losing fights
With pre-emptive war
Wish you were Gore

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