Welcome to The Now

If this little bit of " Spider-Man 4 " news is true, than maybe I'll forgive the two atrocities* that happened in the last one. * = Making Venom such a mundane and diluted character and that whole "I'm and evil jazz guy with lame emo hair because I wear black alien goop" sequence. Josh Lucas as Electro? Ben Kinsely as the Vulture? Scarlett Johansson as Black Cat (please)?

TPM Election Central has the details .

He might, because it looks like he's employing the " Mock, Paper, Scissors " routine. C&L catches the moment : Senator Obama was in full mockery mode today at his rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. Deep down, John McCain knows his economic theories don't work. That's why his campaign said if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose. That's why I keep on talking about the economy. They don't want to talk about the economy. But that's what you want to talk about. That's what affects your lives day in and day out. Now, because he knows his economic theories don't work, he's been spending these last few days calling me every name in the book. Lately he's called me a socialist for wanting to roll back the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can give some tax relief to the middle class. I don't know what's next. By next week he'll be calling me a secret communist because I shared my toys in kinder...

House Minority Leader John Boehner claims that Barack Obama is "chicken shit." Getting closer ...

Charles Krauthammer (with that name, he should have been an action hero, not a political pundit) goes for another round of " I'm Voting for John McCain Regardless ." This time, he's focusing on domestic issues (wait, I thought McCain the POW was a winner just on foreign policy alone?) and he almost made a compelling argument...until I noticed three things. Thing Numba 1: On other domestic issues, McCain is just the kind of moderate conservative that the Washington/media establishment once loved -- the champion of myriad conservative heresies that made him a burr in the side of congressional Republicans and George W. Bush. But now that he is standing in the way of an audacity-of-hope Democratic restoration, erstwhile friends recoil from McCain on the pretense that he has suddenly become right wing. Sorry; it's not that the media wants to see the Cool Black Guy be President. The media was behind John McCain until his Rovian aides told him to abandon this relation...

There should be a support group for all those beleaguered progressives who over the years anxiously awaited elections in the futile hope that the polls showing their candidate behind would turn out to be wrong -- but who this year are fretting just as much that the polls showing their candidate ahead are wrong. -- TPM's David Kurtz .

Just when you think that the Bush Administration couldn't get any sneakier, they do . Pirate of the Cameroon ? Mo' money, less spending . In Congo, a temporary seize fire . Guitar Hero, Beatles-style . Nyuk-nyuk: "A growing number of voters have concluded that Senator John McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, is not qualified to be vice president, weighing down the Republican ticket in the last days of the campaign, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll ."

Unlike some of the blogs I frequent, I choose not to take a peek at the soft white underbelly known as "the fringe," whether it be people who think President Bush called Osama bin Laden to schedule the 9/11 attacks or the people who believe that Hillary Clinton used her early membership at the Black Panthers to kill a guy. However, every now and then, these brave bloggers/websites stumble across something that even I can't help but gloss over. Such as this surreal Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker connection that's trying to be made in the face of logic, reason, physics and reality . Now Poorman , Sadly No! , and Ezra Klein are on the verge of engaging in a Stewart/Colbert/O'Brien feud, and we don't wants that. No, no, no! So here's my request to the so-called "conservatives" who think they actually hold some kind of sway in the base of their party: stop . I like to fanfic as much as the next American with a vivid imagination, but to even say that Malco...

John McCain needs Pennsylvania. He's lucky that there's no early voting there, which may explain why he's putting so many eggs in that basket : Even if McCain can hold Obama off in Florida and North Carolina, two 2004 red states where polls suggest a tight race, the likelihood of losses in other 2004 red states has forced the McCain campaign to look to states that went blue four years ago. They don't have many options. There are, polls suggest, only two states where a shift from blue to red seems within the realm of possibility. One is New Hampshire, where McCain is well liked and where some polls this month have shown the race in the single digits. (Others have shown a wide Obama advantage.) Even if McCain takes the state, however, he'll secure just four electoral votes - hardly enough to offset substantial gains by Obama in red states. The other blue state where McCain may have a chance is Pennsylvania, and that is where the McCain camp appears to have placed its ...

Too bad most rabid conservatives won't back it : Over the last few weeks, more than 60 Catholic bishops, articulating their traditional views in ever stronger language, have urged voters to make abortion their top priority in an election dominated by the nation's economic turmoil. But the urgency of the bishops reflects an increasing concern about a new argument posed by some antiabortion intellectuals and organizations: that the legislative battle to outlaw abortion is hopeless and that antiabortion groups would be better off devoting themselves to preventing unwanted pregnancies and persuading pregnant women to carry their fetuses to term rather than trying to change the laws of the land. The discussion is taking place within evangelical Protestantism, as well as among Roman Catholics, but it is more visible in the Catholic Church because of the high profile of Catholic bishops... [snip] "...The banning-abortion position, conservatives will admit, is not a realistic one...

Some body's closing their tab ... BAGHDAD – Iraq wants to eliminate any chance U.S. forces will stay here after 2011 under a proposed security pact and to expand Iraqi legal jurisdiction over U.S. troops until then, a close ally of the prime minister said Thursday. Can you say "Do'h?" I guess Iraq's had enough of the Rumsfeld/Rice/Cheney-style of spreading freedom. Those demands, which were presented to U.S. officials this week, could derail the deal — delivering a diplomatic blow to Washington in the final weeks of the Bush administration. True, but what hasn't? Failure to reach an agreement before year's end could force a suspension of American military operations, and U.S. commanders have been warning Iraqi officials that could endanger security improvements. So over in Iraq, the Bush Administration is begging Iraq to keep our soldier over there for their own protection [insert crooked cop/stereotypical mob boss joke here]. At home, BushCo. and his subs...

Too funny. Even Joel Schumacher couldn't screw this one up. All the same, someone should keep an eye on Mr. "The Number 23."

I was trying to catch up on my Heroes (shut up; it's supplementing both my Buffy / Angel withdrawal, my LOST fix, and my utter disappointment in Smallville ) and I noticed that the writers apparently like pairing up Hayden Panettiere and Kristen Bell . Maybe it's the "Two Hot Blonds" Corollary or something. I'm pretty sure the two actresses get along (as much as two hot actresses can) but I wonder if Bell ever thinks: "Fuck! I had a hit show once ! Even Joss Whedon liked it! Now I've got to play the "other blond chick" while Lil' Miss Cheerleader rakes in the fame! I knew I shouldn't have done " Pulse !"

All of your important election questions answered . Sure, Beyounce: do whatever you need to do to sell albums . Amazon.com shows its true colors . Some music trends should stay dead . Amy Poehler's gain is SNL's loss. Would you believe that Ronald Reagan was for "redistribution of wealth?" Yes, sir ! I was never a fan of D.L. Hughley myself , to be honest. Say want you want about him, Billy Ray Cyrus knows how to tell it like it is to his celebrity daughter . What your Halloween costume (both men's and women's ) say about you. And lastly: one crazy news lady.

With 1/3rd of their offense and their defensive anchor wearing suits, the Wizards played about as well as expected . FDA warning about Bayer . If you know who you're voting for, there's no need to wait . The Blazer's Greg Oden goes back to familiar settings . What a shock: many surveyed patients not too happy with their care .

Ok, so today I was helping my father split wood in the backyard of his house, and as a reward, I got my hand caught in between the 2 very large pieces (apparently, not ALL cleavage is good for you to put your hands in). I thought my had would be stuck in there forever but we got it out, and I still have feeling in it, thank you Lord. Anyway, I found this This Sarah Failin' flash website that made me smile (as well as lol, guffaw, bust a gut, you get the picture). Check it out here ...

How can this not be considered racist?

He keeps hitting it, like P. Diddy in the 90's:

Watch them for a day or so and see how meta they are, meaning how much they talk about themselves (or other networks in relationship to themselves) versus actual news stories. I can barely watch FoxNews themselves because just about every ten minutes is a little more than a circle jerk of "anchors," "pundits," and "analysts" talking about either how great they are, whether its themselves, their co-workers or the network as a whole. Or they are reacting to someone talking about their network . Or they compare their numbers to other networks. I can honestly say that it's rare to see Wolf Blitzer or Anderson Cooper do this. At most, CNN brags about their "election technology." MSNBC's Keith Olbermann makes fun of FoxNews regularly, but it's mostly to piss Bill O'Reilly off (and I can't remember the last time he talked about CNN in the same manner). And as far as the likes of Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow: whe...

Q: Was I justified in my ribbing McCain for barely being able to keep his own damn state from going Obama ? A: Yes , I believe I was . As Rachel suggested , how the hell can you claim victory is in your grasp when states your predecessor won in 2004 are now considered "in danger," "toss-ups" or "too-close to call?" How I say, unless you cheat?

This one is about his "ignorance" of the Bush Doctrine .

Maddow uses football to describe the current presidential race. It's an explanation that can work on anyone, regardless of how politically-minded they are.

I think one thing about this 2008 Presidential Campaign that's overlooked is who's pulling for each side. Meaning, who's campaigning for their candidate (whether in conjunction with the candidate or on their own) For the Democrats, it's people like: Barack Obama (obvious) Joe Biden (obvious) Michelle Obama - spouse (which is important because spouses don't always speak) Bill Clinton - former president (and last Dem President, which is more valuable than people realize) Hillary Clinton - Bill's spouse and Senator (and more importantly the person who forged Obama into the candidate he is now) For the Republicans, it's people like John McCain (obvious) Sarah Palin (obvious) Sen. Joe Lieberman (a friend of McCain, sure, but not really a friend to the base of the GOP) Sen. Lindsay Graham (What does he bring to the campaign? Really?) Carly Fiorina -former HP president (and judging by her comments , not someone who should be speaking on her own)) Joe the Plumber (...

Boston beats Cleveland , and I smile a little more. The Washington Post takes a look at both Sen. Obama's and Sen. McCain's health care plans. Most likely the real reason McCain doesn't want to bring up Rev. Wright (other than the fact that Hillary Clinton already tried). Nebraska's safe haven law nets another child . There are signs that credit cards will be the next financial crisis . McCain tries to bribe voters in coastal states with oil money ...which makes little sense considering that he used to talk about being independent of oil. Traffic ticket myths .

Here's yet another sad, yet very compelling reason not to vote for John Mc CumStain and Sarah Failin ' , courtesy of Mr. Michael Moore. Members of his own family that he refuses to acknowledge even exist are not going to vote for him! I tend to agree with them....

Can't say this isn't powerful: (H/t: Think Progress )

It you can answer that question, you're better than these guys:

I play the Card: GRAVEROBBER! which allows me to take one post from another blog I like and use it in my own blog ! (hopefully, Dave will forgive me).

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA : Presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama are running in a statistical dead heat in Arizona, according to two surveys released Monday, a troubling development for the home-state senator. And a third survey scheduled for release today will offer a similar assessment. This is how the numbers stacked up: A poll conducted for Project New West, a Democratic advocacy group, had McCain ahead by 4 percentage points, with a margin of error of 4 points for each candidate. The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted Thursday and Friday by Myers Research & Strategic Services of Springfield, Va., and Grove Insight of Portland, Ore. A survey conducted by the independent polling firm Rasmussen Reports had McCain up by 5 percentage points, with a margin of error of 4.5 points for each candidate. The poll of 500 likely voters was done Sunday, according to Rasmussen of Vienna, Va. A poll conducted by Arizona State University/KAET-TV 8 and set for release today wil...

An example of Barack Obama's closing message : Obama, in a high-energy appearance in this northeastern Ohio city, sought to remind supporters of the gravity of next week's election, saying the outcome will determine whether the economy will create "bottom-up" prosperity, families will see healthcare relief, and America will finally commit to renewable energy . He implored the raucous crowd to maintain its intensity right up until the polls close... [snip] In many ways, Obama's closing argument completes a circle he began drawing with his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech in Boston, where he burst onto the national stage with his call for the country to bridge the "red state-blue state" rifts permeating American politics ... [snip] Obama's appeals for unity have helped him attract enough independents and Republicans to put him in position to win traditionally Republican states such as Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. But at the same t...

Too funny . John McCain thought he was being clever picking a fellow maverick to be his running mate. The problem with mavericks, however, is that they don't follow instructions . Pretty soon they go rogue and before you know it you've got a full-fledged diva on your hands. And there lies the rub: they didn't vet her, didn't run her by the campaign officials and didn't position her in the right light (why spend so much money on a so-called "hockey mom?"). Had they done any of this, they would have seen these events coming. As much as the Beltway crowd likes to call Sarah Palin stupid, people in Alaska have repeatedly commented on her political savvy. I believe that she saw McCain decomposing in real time and decided that she needs to make some power moves (lest her own political career fade). Your average politician, especially a Republican, would most likely stay loyal to the ticket. But then again, (as McCain himself likes to say) she did go up against h...

" Volkswagen Overtakes Exxon as Most Valuable Company ." Cool. The cost of diabetes-related drugs are on the rise . Finally: some good news about the foreign markets . Add Syria to the growing lists of country's the Bush Administration feels they can just invade despite the fact that " American officials praised Syria in recent months for its efforts to halt traffic across the border ." One word for the Boston Celtics: repeat .

Just checking back in, folks. Still trying to locate a place of employ, thanks again to the Republican Party for screwing up our economy! I didn't really want anything, just to say "how 'bout them R e d s k i n s !!!" 6-2 baby! Can you smell that?!? *Sniff, sniff* smells like playoffs to me... This is the side to be on...

In my personal view, the Republican party is a very conservative party (read very old-fashioned) that seems to think they can bogart the Lord. They like to paint Democrats as being, among other things, godless baby-killers. Everything Republicans do is "for the good of the country", to hear them tell it. Yeah, I have a problem with that... Typically rich, old, and white-haired white people, Republicans many times are heads of very powerful companies that typically make their obscene amounts of money off of the suffering of the (much) less fortunate; when crises arise in this country, a steady flow of references to the Almighty flows from their lips. These folks usually bribe Republican candidates by saying they will vote for him/her if they play their game. Repubs and their fanbase usually say Democrats aren't as committed to God and the average people as they are. This is where we encounter my aforementioned beef with this logic. In church yesterday (gasp! A...

Where to begin? The numerology-obsessed, Nazi-loving, would-be assassins ? People screaming the "N-word" at Palin/McCain rallies ?* Emmitt Till's memorial being (once again) vandalized ? As Oliver likes to remind people, this is (only) Day Eight . Obama's talking about bringing people together, and McCain suddenly thinks that the road to the White House is claiming to be superior on the economy (I thought his strength was fighting wars?). But that's just the surface talk; underneath there's a battle to convince White America to put aside/forget/dismiss their prejudices and give the black guy the benefit of the doubt. Or, as I would put it: STOP VOTING AGAINST YOUR BEST INTERESTS BECAUSE OF FEAR!!! Anyway, don't expect the news to get any less racial as we near the Big Day. *UPDATE : An astute Daily Kos diarist discovers that at the Palin rally, the person actually shouted "Redistributor!" which isn't racist, just inaccuate.

Sister Mary Francis , what the hell is going on? WESTFIELD, Mass. – An 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while firing an Uzi submachine gun under adult supervision at a gun fair. The boy lost control of the weapon while firing it Sunday at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club, Police Lt. Lawrence Valliere said. The boy was with a certified instructor and "was shooting the weapon down range when the force of the weapon made it travel up and back toward his head, where he suffered the injury," a police statement said. Police called it a "self-inflicted accidental shooting." The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he died. His name was not released. Although the death appears to be an accident, police and the Hampden district attorney's office were investigating, officials said. The club said on its Web site that the event, run in conjunction with C.O.P Firearms and Training, i...

Can't say I'm surprised : SPRINGFIELD -- An obscure state law and an ambiguous federal ballot form are combining to invalidate some of the thousands of absentee votes being cast this fall by Virginians overseas, most of them in the military. State officials confirmed Thursday that they've instructed local registrars to set aside any vote submitted on a federally furnished write-in ballot unless the ballot includes both the name and address of the person who witnessed the vote. An advisory to registrars was distributed earlier this week, said Susan Pollard, a spokeswoman for the State Board of Elections. Every absentee ballot requires the signature of a witness, who vouches for the identity of the voter. The witness address requirement is specified by Virginia law but not spelled out on the federal form. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the state does not require the witness address for absentee voters who opt for a different, state-furnished form. "I want to co...

Barack Obama gets some love from Alaska . The world's biggest guy gets hitched . Maybe now the city of Philadelphia can stop complaining about losing? Actually, people in Pennsylvania should be more concerned about looking past their prejudices . Now mice have no place to hide . The fundamentals of the economy are what now ?

As strange as it sounds, if Mike Ditka had run for Senate back in 2004, there's a good chance Obama wouldn't be where he is (the GOP ended up getting Alan Keyes to run against him). Ten red flags of dating . What does the Colin Powell endorsement mean? Well, as Fred Kaplan says , " In a Rasmussen poll taken earlier this month, Powell was viewed favorably by 80 percent of those surveyed—considerably higher than the positive ratings for Sen. Obama (56 percent) or his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain (49 percent) ." Some women find food addictive; here's one reason . A Detailed Analysis of McCain's Response to Powell's Endorsement in Cartoon Form . John McCain really needs to get a handle on the YouTube Generation. (Arianna Huffington: " Oops; too late .") Tom Toles' take on the robocalls .

One possible reason as to how this mess got out of hand: On that bright spring afternoon, the five members of the Securities and Exchange Commission met in a basement hearing room to consider an urgent plea by the big investment banks. They wanted an exemption for their brokerage units from an old regulation that limited the amount of debt they could take on. The exemption would unshackle billions of dollars held in reserve as a cushion against losses on their investments. Those funds could then flow up to the parent company, enabling it to invest in the fast-growing but opaque world of mortgage-backed securities; credit derivatives, a form of insurance for bond holders; and other exotic instruments. The five investment banks led the charge, including Goldman Sachs, which was headed by Henry M. Paulson Jr. Two years later, he left to become Treasury secretary...

The reason I didn't really talk about or believe the Ashley Todd story ? It just reminded me of a scene from Ben Stiller's Cable Guy (about 1:10 in): When something reminds me of a scene from a movie, I usually discredit it. P.S.: Matt Drudge is an idiot .

Here we go . Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said in recent weeks that economic weakness is likely to continue into next year, despite rate cuts and other recent moves taken by the Fed and Treasury Department to try and fix the credit crisis. On Monday, Bernanke pushed Congress to consider a new stimulus plan to spur the economy. "Everyone at the Fed has pretty much told you they're going to cut," said Rich Yamarone, director of economic research at Argus Research. "They're in a kitchen sink mode right now. Rate cuts, fiscal stimulus, bailouts - they're throwing everything they can at this right now." What's the over/under for Bernanke's next gimmick being an old fashioned lemonade stand? Or a massive car wash? Or a giant raffle to see Davy Jones perform his greatest hits?

So the Ashley Todd story turns out to be fake and one of John McCain's own advisers (as in, "he advised John McCain during this current campaign very recently") votes for Obama . This does not look good for the Senator from Arizona. Nevertheless, people still have to actually vote to make this all official.

Um... yikes . If your doctor has prescribed antibiotics for the flu or told you to try B12 vitamins for fatigue, those treatments were probably a placebo -- an unproven therapy offered with the hope you'd feel better if you took something. Treatment with placebos is far more common than you might think, according to a new national survey in which 46 to 58 percent of U.S. physicians admitted using placebos regularly. Only 5 percent said they tell patients explicitly that they are doing so. The results trouble medical ethicists, who say more research is needed to determine whether doctors must deceive patients in order for placebos to work. The survey was sent to 1,200 internists and rheumatologists nationwide; 679 responded. In answering three questions as part of the larger survey, about half reported recommending placebos regularly. Surveys in Denmark, Israel, Britain, Sweden and New Zealand have found like results. I'm kinda torn here. On the one side doctors are giving peopl...

McCain for President , aka, I'm going against the grain of so many Republicans supporting Barack Obama because terrorists are still out there and only Uncle McCain can protect me . I have no doubt whatsoever that if the party affiliations were switched, Krauthammer would be calling John McCain the demon Leviathan . None.

While I thought he had awesome chemistry with Gilbert Arenas on the Wizards, Larry Hughes had two concerns: his "meh" persona and his penchant for getting injured. Only one of those concerns has really hampered his game .

FoxNews tries to blame Obama on... job losses ?

Something that Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain can agree on . You can either watch Colin Farrell and Edward Norton beat the crap out of each other or see a bunch of 20-somethings pretend to graduate from high school . Apparently, bad judgement and a bad temper is a McCain family trait. It's called " KARMA ," New England. Woman kills her virtual husband . A warm cup of coffee could actually make you nicer . New York Mayor Bloomberg (with help from the New York City Council) defy the will of the people in the name of helping the people . Remember, he almost ran for president. There's no such thing as a "safe state" in this election.

Barring Jimmy Carter attacking Barack Obama with a weedwacker while screaming, "John McCain's a national treasure!" it looks like it's only a matter of time before we, as a country, make some serious history. I'm still hesitant to come out in say, "It's in the bag, Baby!" because (1) the Democratic Party has their share of Human Gaffe Machines, (2) Gov. Palin and her ilk continue to stoke the fires of bigotry and (3) well, some states are still using electronic voting machines. Anyway, some have taken it upon themselves to lament over That Which Has Not Transpired . It's what happens when you have poll information that hasn't really budged in about a week or so and a media with the patience of a puppy dog. Of all the finger-pointing that has gone on so far, McCain’s complaints are probably the most accurate. It wasn’t that long ago when the Arizona senator was almost universally viewed as the party’s best hope to win the White House, precisel...

Cindy Sheehan says that Nancy Pelosi " supports " President Bush. First: Pelosi hasn't "supported" President Bush nearly as much as the Republicans in Congress have. Second: The two examples Sheehan cite also included some other prominent Democratic support/votes. Third: I hope Sheehan doesn't think that by beating Pelosi, she would become Speaker of the House.

He talks taxes, but just with words. No pictures, no graphs, no political ad gimmicks. Just words.

...people will look back on stories like this and say, "What were people thinking? They really thought that being black was a liability? They honestly thought that someone who managed to get elected to the United States Senate and defeat one of the most powerful political families of that time was actually some kind of double agent?"

With Gilbert Arenas out, it's time for the second-year Wizard to show Washington what he's got.

Well, paint me green and call me Gumby ! Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says the current financial crisis has uncovered a flaw in how the free market system works and that has shocked him. Greenspan told the House Oversight Committee on Thursday that his belief that banks would be more prudent in their lending practices because of the need to protect their stockholders had proven in the latest crisis to be wrong. Greenspan said he had made a "mistake" in believing that banks in operating in their self-interest would be sufficient to protect their shareholders and the equity in their institutions. Greenspan said that he had found "a flaw in the model that I perceived is the critical functioning structure that defines how the world works." Thanks alot, Al. Can the people who got kicked out of there homes stay with you until they get back on their feet?

About 22 seconds into this video clip ...

And to think: this guy was almost arrested . H/T: Newshounds .

Despite constantly attacking his opponent's character, picking a running mate that makes members of his own party cringe and literally changing his political strategy every single week, Sen. John McCain trails Sen. Barack Obama . Miss Teen Louisiana skips bill, gets busted for pot, and looses her crown . Even if Bloomberg gets an other crack at mayor, he might not have the same supporters . Florida may not go Republican this year . Pakistan has decided to " outsource " that fighting the enemy thing. The miracles of modern medicine : "Basic things, like getting Flonase, [a sinus medicine] are a luxury."

Colin Powell endorsing Barack Obama is to Joe Lieberman endorsing John McCain.

She'd be the Basketball Star Elliot Richards.

Oliver Willis found (more) proof .

I Googled what the rules are in my state, and got this : ANNAPOLIS (August 25, 2006) - Today, the Maryland Court of Appeals upheld a ruling of a Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge that early voting violates the Constitution of Maryland. As a result of this court ruling, any eligible voter who planned on voting during early voting must either vote in his or her assigned polling place on September 12 th or vote by absentee ballot. Voters may find their assigned polling places using the State Board of Elections' new polling place locator at http://www.elections.state.md.us/ . In addition to providing the name and address of the voter's assigned polling place, the voter can get driving directions to the polling place. An application for an absentee ballot is also available on the same website. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail or by fax is Tuesday, September 5 th . After September 5 th , all requests for an absentee ballot must be made in person at the loca...

Brave woman tries to preform a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove .

Al-Qaida is hoping for a John McCain Administration . UPDATE : Via OW: The Republicans were for linking presidential candidates to terrorists before they were against it .

Wait in the emergency room for 15 hours, never see a doctor, get billed $162.00 . Democrats are benefiting from early voting . Why does Wells Fargo want Wachovia again? Middle-aged white people are killing themselves more . Bomb 'em all and let God sort them out. Bush Economics in all of it's glory: " People are having to choose between gas, meals and medication ." The GOP's pit bull is getting treated more like Paris Hilton's pooch . Maryland's gambles on slots again. Ah yes; the marshmallow test .

All this talk about Barack Obama's supposed "terrorist" ties to Bill Ayers is ridiculous to say the very least. For some reason, it's ok for the Republican ticket to treat their supporters like a rabid dog in a cage, poking at them with the proverbial stick of you will, with them responding by shouting "Kill Him!" among other things. Apparently, it's not ok for Obama to have a cult-like following, however. Here's what troubles me about this campaign at this particular minute: McCain and Palin have pretty much refused to say "now hang on a minute, folks. I know he's my opponent, but you can't be saying those kinds of things here" to their supporters; at the same time, Barack was forced to tell the American people what his connection to Ayers is (or was). Don't you think it's long since time for the McCain to denounce the supporters he's got foaming at the mouth and also denounce their biggest fan, Rush Limbaugh ? I thi...

Gov. Palin: the Vice President of the United States of America is not in charge of the U.S. Senate . (H/t: Think Progress)

Sen. Obama takes a little time off to visit his sick grandmother . The Patriots can feel a little bit better now. Ben Bernanke proposes another Federal Bribe to make us all forget how crappy the economy is. Venezuela, Iran and Russia have to deal with the lowering of gas prices . For those who think that Sen. Obama isn't paying attention to the slime coming from Sen. McCain's campaign, think again . Putting my DNA online ? Err, let me get back to you on that. Yes; Arab-Americans exist and they love their country . At least ten white candidates are hoping that support for Sen. Obama can help them too .

Question #1 : If Obama loses, will black people revolt/riot? Answer : This is a dumb question, but odds are "no." While there are more than one instance where horrible things have been done to the African-Americans , the closest "reaction" was relatively non-violent . Question #2 : If Obama wins, will white people revolt/riot ? Answer : This is a dumb question, but as long as the political climate does not cause our voters to deteriorate into loosely organized mobs I would say "no." See here for reasons why voters may deteriorate into loosely organized mobs. Jon Perr answers a better question : What could happen to the Economy if the Democratic candidate Barack Obama wins? Hmmm:

Between a big financial September and the endorsement of Colin Powell , Barack Obama and his supporters should be riding high (for the record, Obama has advised otherwise ). Most liberals and Democrats will say, "Powell betrayed us with his crappy argument for attacking Iraq. He's lost all credibility." Not entirely accurate. Sure, Powell used his reputation to convince many uninformed Americans that Iraq was the Legion of Doom. But back then we had no idea that behind the scenes Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were manipulating Powell via false intelligence information. More than any other prominent member of the First Bush 43 Term, Colin Powell was a loyal soldier, and that aspect of his personality was not going to make him revolt unless there was no doubt that people in the Administration were outright lying. I suspect that despite the alleged infighting (which happens in every administration), Powell simply didn't believe that there was enough evidence for him to...

At this point, it's not really that hard. I think back to one the old Scooby-Doo incarnations, particularly " The 13 Ghosts of Scoob-Doo ," where Scooby and Shaggy opened up a demonic-looking chest that contained (you guessed it!) the 13 worst ghosts/monsters ever imagined. The rest of the series was about Scooby, Shaggy and whoever else Hanna-Barbara/Warner Bros. bothered to add (doubt Fred was involved; he was never that popular) getting these ghosts back in the box. That pretty much sums up my characterization of the McCain Campaign's most recent decent into race-baiting for votes. But I digress. Well, Dave found this "interesting" flier where members of McCain's Campaign compared Barack Obama to Marx, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Castro . What, no Genghis Khan? Oh, and he has this piece on conservative white guy Charles Krauthammer trying to redefine racism so the rabid bigots attending the McCain/Palin rallies look more like the crowds at the Phil...

Abstinence Education doesn't work ? Ya don't say . I have no tears to shed for Halliburton. A cardboard cutout of Gov. Sarah Palin...( huh? What? Oh, damn; sorry )...I mean, the real Sarah Palin appeared on SNL this past Saturday. Don't worry Boston ; it had nothing to do with any curses. A summit of African nations will be short one important member.

If you figure in the robocalls and recent ads, McCain's entire campaign is now comprised of innuendo and lies meant to tie Obama to various stereotypes of African-Americans and of course Arab terrorism. His purported foreign policy experience hasn't been part of the campaign's message in weeks. Just black, black, black, terrorist, terrorist, terrorist. -- Josh Marshall , making a conclusion based on John McCain's latest (and most racist) claim about a Barack Obama presidency.

J.J. Abrams talks Star Trek ...and check out this cool photo . O. Willis: the local GOP groups are really showing their racism . Myths and lies about the financial crisis exposed. The poorman: the GOP supporters are really showing their racism . Sadly, No!: The GOP-loving bloggers are really ignoring the racism . Personally, anyone who flunked this test shouldn't be allowed to vote.

Why else would they snub her, and only her , from a foreign policy meeting? Don't give me that "governor" crap; her supporters say she has foreign policy experience. If we find out it was George W. Bush who made the (non)call, I'll be laughing for a week.

Enslaving them over here ... SEATTLE – Five Seattle-area immigrants from Afghanistan enslaved a teenage girl they brought to the U.S., with some forcing her to do chores and one — her 37-year-old husband — beating and sexually assaulting her, according to a federal indictment unsealed this week. The girl is from an impoverished single-parent home in Afghanistan, and she was informally adopted by another family there that forced her to marry at age 13 in 2005, Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office, said Thursday. The girl's husband is Mohammad Atahee, a friend of the adoptive family; U.S. officials don't recognize the marriage. They don't recognize the marriage, yet didn't blink at fact that this was a 16-year-old wife. But it's not like things are rosy in that region , so what happened to that proverbial police cynicism? You know, the thing that makes cops pull over black guys who drive nice cars?