Conversation Overheard on a Plane Leaving Denver

absentee's diary has a choice snippet of a conversation between two Democratic operatives working for the Obama campaign.

On a plane from Denver to Charlotte following the Democrats' convention, I found myself seated behind former National Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Don Fowler and Congressman John Spratt of South Carolina. Their conversation was interesting to say the least.

For example, they made fun of Sarah Palin for several minutes, Fowler calling her "Dan Quayle" on steroids and Spratt creatively describing her as "just terrible." They both agreed that, "Other than the simple fact that she's a female," she has nothing to offer.

Then there was this gem of a moment from Fowler: [go to absentee's diary to view YouTube video]

These callous remarks prompted SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson to say,

"The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign's highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical politization of life and death. I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership."

BONUS: Michael Moore says hurricane is "proof there is a God in heaven."

UPDATE: FOX News reports that Mr. Fowler has issued an apology for his rash remarks.

An Important Announcement from BBC News

Now that both McCain and Obama have told the world who their running mates will be, it is time to take a break and report on the most significant news story from BBC this year: Willie Robertson is this year's champion at the World Haggis Eating Championship in Perthshire, Scotland. He wolfed down a one-pound haggis in only 2 minutes and five seconds.

Haggis is a traditional Scottish food made from sheep innards, oatmeal, and spices (organizers are considering a vegetarian version in the future). Contestants are only allowed to use plastic forks and knives, and are provided with beer to wash down the food. Robertson, who also won in 2004, received a trophy and a bottle of whisky.

Photos from the DNC and Blogger Bash

Here's a selection of photos I took in Denver on the 28th:

The type of train I took to get to downtown Denver. All those rumors I heard about congestion and ripoff prices for parking spaces near Invesco Field at Mile High turned out to be quite true.


Street vendors in general must have done well this week, since most visitors bought T-shirts and other souvenirs to take home with them.


This is the Union Station, one of the best-known landmarks in all of Denver. Normally one only has to get off at the light rail stop here and cross the street to get to Trios Enoteca, but this was no ordinary week, so I took a leisurely walk from 16th and California.


Larimer Square, a popular tourist attraction, combines the look of the late 19th century with the modern conveniences of the 21st. It is within easy walking distance of the 16th Street Mall.


This arcade shot in downtown Denver brought back fond memories of my travels in Europe, and one could not ask for better lighting.


A most curious painted cow sculpture on the 16th Street Mall


This blogger, who happened to be traveling incognito, demonstrated the power of his imagination by fantasizing that he was being photographed with Mr. Lady of Whisky in My Sippy Cup, who was a gracious hostess that evening.


The room was dark, so I tweaked the photo in such a way that it looks like a painting. Viewers segregated themselves so that Democrats, liberals, and antiwar people sat in the front of the room, while conservatives, libertarians and Republicans took up the rear.

Guest-Blogging at "My Left Nutmeg"

And Now a Word from Bloodthirsty Warmonger!:
(These comments were written last night, at the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash 5000: The Donkeys Over Denver Edition.)
I like to blog about my passions: politics (usually of the conservative variety) and a closely-related subject, toilet lore; mental health, assorted trivia, military-friendly news, and anything that strikes my fancy.
My take on the Obama speech: It was truly a virtuoso performance - the candidate played the audience like a fine violin, and the Secret Service probably had to veto any suggestion of surfing the crowd after he was finished. It would have been fun to watch, if he could pull it off.

Charles M. Sakai, aka "Bloodthirsty Warmonger"
Colorado Springs
by: mvbrown @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 22:26:24 PM CDT
by: you @ soon

What a great guy
Vet of Desert Storm. He feels he is the oldest person here - he's 61 [correction: 60]. He was born in Hawaii {like Barack Obama) and that is where where the similarity ends. He identifies as a Japanese American.
by: mvbrown @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 22:35:28 PM CDT

Source: My Left Nutmeg blog

A footnote: "Yanqui Mike" Skowronek, representing Democrats abroad in Argentina, made a favorable impression at this party.

McCain Wakes Up, Makes a Bold Move

What more can we say? Senator John McCain announced his choice of running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin today, just hours after Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Denver. We in Colorado Springs got to see for ourselves how well that decision was received when talk show host Sean Hannity delivered a one-hour speech at the Prorodeo Hall of Fame this afternoon. Every time he mentioned her name, the audience burst into cheers and applause. She adds value to his ticket at a time when he desperately needs a boost, because of her reputation for being a conservative reformer who's not afraid to take on powerful, entrenched special interests.

Obama's Acceptance Speech at the DNC: Gasp! That Guy Is Good!

Yesterday was the closest I will probably be to attending a major-party convention, and I only hope the Democrats or Republicans will not make us wait another hundred years before favoring the capital of our state with another.

Since I visit Denver only a few times a year, I found it cheaper and more convenient to drive to where the parking is free and take the light rail. This time I went to the Mineral station, at the end of one of the two major lines. There were so many cars that I had to park at the outer edge of the overflow area. Getting off at 16th and California, I saw that the 16th Street Mall was a great place for people-watching and taking pictures. Convention-goers were all over the place, and were no doubt reassured to see policemen outnumbering demonstrators. Many Democrats still have bitter memories of Chicago 1968, where rioting went out-of-control, handing the presidential election over to the Republican, Richard Nixon. Denver is the largest Democratic stronghold in Colorado, so visitors coming for the convention never had to worry about whether they would receive a warm welcome.

Trios Enoteca is directly across the street from Union Station (the light rail stop there was temporarily closed for security reasons until the convention was over). All bloggers, regardless of party, were welcome, and I noticed that Republicans, libertarians, and other conservatives usually stuck together with their own kind, while Democrats hung out with other liberals. I was one of the exceptions, as I was determined to shamelessly promote my own blog. One of the principal organizers, Zombyboy of ResurrectionSong, came incognito, and his loyal friends were careful not to blow his cover. Mr. Lady of Whisky in My Sippy Cup made an ideal hostess, and extended a warm welcome to all. This was a golden opportunity to hobnob with people who have been following the convention from the beginning, like Stephen Green of Vodkapundit, who also writes for Pajamas Media. I asked him if he would go to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the Republican convention, and he said yes, he'll be leaving Colorado on Sunday. I tried calling Walter in Denver and Darren Copeland to repentance for not posting on their blogs as often as their readers would like. The Other McCain (Robert Stacy, who said he was distantly related to the Senator from Arizona), Left off Colfax, Alan Silverberg of You2Gov.com, Klaus Holzapfel (originally from Darmstadt, Germany) of conceptbakery.com, Charlie Martin, M.V. Brown and Tessa of My Left Nutmeg (liveblogging at the scene because they had laptops with wireless Internet access), Wheels within Wheels, complete with ukulele, Andy of World Wide Rant, and others too numerous to mention made at least a cameo appearance.

What can I say about The Speech? The back room where the TV was located was so packed that people were sitting on the floor. The Democrats ate it up, and Obama succeeded in his design of making it the climax of the DNC, something that would motivate rank-and-file members to man the phone banks, pass out pamphlets, tell their friends, and keep sending those checks to his presidential campaign. I sat with the conservatives and Republicans, and they provided a different kind of instant commentary known in the trade as fisking.;-) We shook our heads, wondering how Sen. Obama would be able to come up with the money to pay for these extravagant promises, pointed out contradictions in his narrative, and despaired that John McCain would ever be able to pull out all the stops and play his audience like a fine pipe organ the way that Barack did last night. This was the first time I heard an Obama speech from beginning to end, and while he said little that was new, I could sense that he had his audience of over 80,000 at Invesco Field at Mile High (along with millions of Democrats watching on television) in the palm of his hand.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Collected Sayings of Sen. Biden, Part 2

During the 1988 Presidential campaign that launched him to national prominence, Biden was forced to withdraw amidst a storm of controversy. A video put together by the Dukakis campaign showed that Biden had lifted portions of speeches from a British politician named Neil Kinnock. Days later, it was revealed that he had also plagiarized a law review paper while he was a first-year student at Syracuse Law School. Further investigation into his academic career led to a testy exchange in New Hampshire, during which Biden told a questioner named Frank, who had asked about his law school grades, “I think I have a much higher I.Q. than you do.” He then added that he “went to law school on a full academic scholarship, the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship,” and that he “ended up in the top half… with three degrees from college.” It was later revealed that Biden had achieved only one degree, a B.A., and had graduated 76th in his class… out of 85 students. His excuse? “I exaggerate when I’m angry.” - Source: "The Shining City" [blog]

In 2006, Biden, attempting to pander to an Indian-American supporter, noted that, “In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” - CSPAN, June 2006

“I mean you got the first mainstream, African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking, I mean that’s a storybook, man.” - Biden on Obama candidacy, New York Observer, January 2007

Proposed Design for the Three-Dollar Bill :-)

This picture accompanied a Free Republic article about the set erected at Invesco Field at Mile High for Barack Obama's acceptance speech, which resembles an ancient Greek temple, and shows all the care and attention someone with too much time on his hands would lavish on such an eye-catching project. Of course we know the law requiring that one has to be dead to appear on American currency or stamps would have to be changed.

UPDATE: From the "It Was Bound to Happen Sooner or Later" file comes charges reported by KOMO News in Washington state that this gag 3-dollar bill was racist in intent, like anything else that's critical of Sen. Obama.

Featuring a picture of Barack Obama decked out in an Arab headdress with the words "da man" under his picture, the mocking merchandise was prominently displayed alongside the "proud republican" bumper stickers and the "Dino Rossi for Governor" paraphernalia.

In addition to perpetuating the lie that Obama is a Muslim, the fake bill also has some openly racist aspects to it.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Collected Sayings of Sen. Biden, Part 1

News item: The Republican National Committee posted a "Biden Gaffe Clock" on their Web site shortly after Sen. Barack Obama unveiled his running mate.

The month after the 9/11 attacks, The New Republic profiled Biden and caught this brainstorm:
At the Tuesday-morning meeting with committee staffers, Biden launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about what his committee should be doing, before he finally admits the obvious: "I'm groping here." Then he hits on an idea: America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face. [Quoted in Wall St. Journal's Opinion Journal, which brought up the fact that Iran is not Arab and that most Arabs distrust the Persians.]

“I think he can be ready, but right now I don’t believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training,” [Referring to Sen. Barack Obama]

A Chicago Tribune editorial recounts Biden's recent antics as a senior Judiciary Committee member:
Three years ago, during Senate Judiciary Committee questioning of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, Biden memorably warned Roberts to give "short answers," then filibustered into the cameras for 12 of his assigned 20 minutes. Lest anyone miss his superiority to Roberts, Biden added theatrics The Washington Post described as "the full Al Gore: While Roberts spoke, Biden shook his head, put his face in his hand, pouted and glared disgustedly."

UPDATE: Frank J. of IMAO sums up Biden blunders in his "In My World" series in a way that is both humorous and chilling.

Obama Announces Biden Will Be Running Mate

Sen. Barack Obama has announced to millions of fans, political junkies, and the media through his Web site and text-messaging that Sen. Joe Biden will be his vice presidential pick. They plan to appear together in public at a rally in Springfield, Illinois later today. This is one form of balancing the ticket: not geographical, but in terms of experience. Biden is respected in Democratic circles for his knowledge of foreign affairs and defense, and could end up being as much of a co-president to Obama as Dick Cheney has been to George W. Bush.

Getting Ready for the Convention or Blogger Bash? Here's Some More Information

It has come to our attention that a 5.5 mile segment of Interstate 25 from the interchange with I-70 to the interchange with 6th Avenue will be closed on August 28, when the Democratic National Convention meets at Invesco Field at Mile High. The road closure will start at 5:30 p.m. and end after Sen. Obama leaves the stadium. This article describes numerous other temporary reroutings in downtown Denver. Plan your travel throughout the week of the convention accordingly and be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to where you want to go.

By the way, if you wish to attend the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash 5000: The Donkeys Over Denver Edition, it's still not too late to RSVP. Since driving conditions are expected to be congested and confusing even to people who know the downtown area well, you may want to consider using public transportation. I plan on getting there via the light rail, which provides a carefree, comfortable ride.

If you have nothing better to do in Denver than to join the "Recreate 68" demonstration, check out this picture of your next residence, in an old city warehouse on the northeast side near 38th and Steele:

A Warm and Fuzzy Alternative to Obama and McCain

Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House has nominated his pet cat, Snowball, for the presidency. About the only obstacle to qualifying is the fact that she's only 3 years old. Complicating the calculation in cat years is knowing that these animals reach puberty in less than a year, but in terms of maturity, she definitely sets a high standard.

"Regular readers will recall that rather than choose either Obama or McCain as my candidate, I turned instead to my pet cat Snowball as a creature I could fully get behind for president.

"The wisdom of this choice becomes more and more evident as the campaign goes along. As the other candidates have sniped and snarked at one another, Snowball has stayed above the fray with that kind of quiet dignity that only cats can aspire. She has not said a word against either McCain or Obama despite the fact that both have given her plenty of ammunition...."

Little Dictators (Is It Contagious?)

Hat tip: Fark.com


1. Reuters reports that Italian mayors get drunk on extra law-and-order powers, issue decrees preventing people from reading in the park, mowing their lawns, and building sandcastles.
2. Mayor of Clayton, CA orders police raid on little girls selling produce from their garden.
3. Wisconsin woman taken away in handcuffs and booked for failing to return two overdue books to the library! The Smoking Gun has the story.
4. Is nothing sacred anymore? The Times of London reports that, starting next year, the French government will regulate the booming business of country-western line dancing, by, among other measures, requiring licenses of teachers, after 200 hours' instruction.

How to Build Community

I saw this cool poster with the following sayings and found out this list was compiled by Karen Kearney, a member of the Syracuse Cultural Workers. You can order a poster based on her watercolor here.

HOW TO BUILD COMMUNITY

Turn off your TV
Leave your house
Know your neighbors
Look up when you are walking
Greet people
Sit on your stoop
Plant flowers
Use your library
Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Garden together
Support neighborhood schools
Fix it even if you didn’t break it
Have pot lucks
Honor elders
Pick up litter
Read stories aloud
Dance in the street
Talk to the mail carrier
Listen to the birds
Put up a swing
Help carry something heavy
Barter for your goods
Start a tradition
Ask a question
Hire young people for odd jobs
Organize a block party
Bake extra and share
Ask for help when you need it
Open your shades
Sing together
Share your skills
Take back the night
Turn up the music
Turn down the music
Listen before you react to anger
Mediate a conflict
Seek to understand
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles
Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this.

McCain 1, Obama 0

Kevin McCullough at Townhall.com reported that Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church performed a valuable public service by hosting a forum on Saturday the 16th between Barack Obama and John McCain on a variety of religious & moral issues. This article focused on Obama's "nuanced" position on birth control. Here's an example:

His most outright lie was his claim that abortion rates had gone up over the last eight years. Within minutes bloggers at TownHall.com, pro-life groups like Americans United for Life, and even the analyst panel on Fox News Channel had the stats in front of the American public. Abortion rates have actually decreased over the last eight years, and have done so in significant fashion. In fact in January of 2008 it was reported by the Guttmacher Institute and repeated in U.S. News and World Reports that abortions had reached a three decade low.

When asked most forthrightly by Warren as to when a child should have its God given rights protected, Obama balked and claimed "knowing when something" that is obviously living, "begins to live" was, "above his pay grade."

In contrast, McCain got cheers and applause when he declared unequivocally that life begins at the moment of conception. Reality check: it's not for nothing that Planned Parenthood (which makes over a billion dollars a year by preventing parenthood rather than promoting same) loves Sen. Obama.

Here's a link to some YouTube videos with statements from both presidential candidates.

News You Can Use: How About a Fine Jar for People Who Leave Their Cell Phones On?

The Bangor [Maine] Daily News describes a neat idea that the Bangor City Council has instituted: placing a fine jar in a conspicuous location and charging $5 to elected officials who don't remember to turn off their cell phones during a meeting. The money goes to charity, and should give ideas to people who organize concerts, lectures, and other public events.

Limousine Liberal Crisis in Denver!

Organizers of the upcoming Democratic National Convention thought they had everything all planned down to the last organic, locally-grown, non-fried snack, but forgot about having enough limos to meet the demand!!! 9News of Denver (NBC) describes the state of panic that's setting in.

Keeping the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash 5000: The Donkeys Over Denver Edition Before the Public

A WORD TO THE WISE: Visitors coming to downtown Denver for the first time may find the street layout confusing, since they are laid out diagonally in relation to the rest of the city, and because of so many one-way streets. You may have to orient yourself by using landmarks such as the 16th Street Mall or Union Station.

August 28, 2008
Trios Enoteca
1730 Wynkoop·Denver, CO 80202
7:30 PM to Close

Free Food and Free Beer & Wine
(In limited supplies and only if we like you.)

For continuing coverage of this social event, visit ResurrectionSong or the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash Web site.

How Much Money Are Professional Fundraisers Taking from Your Favorite Charity?

A July Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that professional fundraisers keep so much of the money donated to charity by conscientious, generous-minded people that 430 different California charities over the last 10 years got not one penny of the contributions. In fact, in 337 cases, the charity paid an additional fee on top of getting nothing back (but did come away with the donors' names and addresses, for further solicitation). Philanthropy watchdogs say fundraisers should never keep more than 35 cents on the dollar, but the Times found the overall average was 54 cents, and for missing-children charities, fundraisers kept 86 cents. (Fundraisers for an organization called Citizens Against Government Waste kept 94 cents.) [Los Angeles Times, 7-6-08, reported in News of the Weird]

The Better Business Bureau's Give.org provides the public with information and guidance for wise giving.

My pet charity, Colorado Springs DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance), spends 10% or less for operating expenses, and has no paid staff. We are continuously looking for donors and volunteers to help us serve an area where conditions for the mentally ill can be described as "primitive."

Soldiers-Turned-Reporters Eager to Deliver the Truth About Iraq

A Newsmax.com article describes another encouraging development on the Iraqi front (something you're not likely to see on CNN or the New York Times):

A group of Iraq war veterans returned to Iraq last week as civilians to embed as reporters with their former units, to tell the story of recent successes in the war they believe the media is not accurately reporting to the American people.

Led by Pete Hegseth, chairman of Vets for Freedom, the group of eight citizen-soldier-reporters includes Spec. Kate Norley, who served as a medic in Taji and Baghdad during a 16-month deployment, and Vets for Freedom co-founder David Bellavia, author of "House to House: An Epic Memoir of War."

“The idea was to put vets back into the same places where they had served as soldiers before, to use their unique eye to get a level of nuance that’s badly needed” for the public’s understanding of the war.

In February, Hegseth was embedded in Baghdad, and was able to visit some of the same neighborhoods he had patrolled two years earlier when he was on active duty. The differences were dramatic, he said.

Asked the reaction among U.S. troops to the recent visit by Sen. Barack Obama, Hegseth said there was “a level of frustration that he had made up his mind before he came, so the whole thing was just a photo op, not a real fact-finding mission.”

He also noted that Obama “spent no time with line units, with infantry units.”

If he had, Hegseth said he would have seen that “things have gotten much better here. Violence is at an all-time low both this month and last,” he said.

What you've seen on this blog is less than half of the full article at http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/iraq_veterans_reporters/2008/08/10/120772.html