A Nation of Law against they own Rules.

The United States' commitment to separation of church and state has defined the nation, from the structure of the schools and the welfare system to the nature of American politics and society. Many citizens mistakenly point to the First Amendment, which guarantees the freedom of religious practice, as the origin of this separation. Indeed, the Bill of Rights represents a crucial step toward the division of religious institutions from the affairs of the government. Yet, from the days of the early republic, the separation of church and state came about slowly, amid contentious legal, intellectual, and religious debates.

Since the first few days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has taken the view that the president has unilateral, unchecked authority to wage a war, not only against those who attacked us on that day, but against all and non terrorist organizations of potentially global reach. The administration claims that the president's role as commander in chief of the armed forces grants him exclusive authority to select "the means and methods of engaging the enemy." And it has interpreted that power in turn to permit the president to take actions many consider illegal. which I will collectively call "the Bush doctrine," the administration has brushed aside legal objections as mere hindrances to the ultimate goal of keeping Americans safe. It has argued that domestic criminal and constitutional law are of little concern because the president's powers as commander in chief override all such laws; that the Geneva Conventions but...

A nation's laws must be upheld? Such simplistic paranoia is at the foundation of the anti-immigrant crowd who cannot intellectualize their belief system. For example take this editorial, A Nation of Laws; its lack of substance prevents any meaningful progress for solving this issue.

What would happen to you if police caught you on video fraudulently voting?
Would cops quickly arrest you and throw you in jail, only to have the District Attorney immediately charge you with breaking the Law(Voterfraud)? Well, see the video above.

What would happen to elected government officials if they were caught doing the same? Absolutely nothing? In fact, our representatives in the U.S. government have become so brazen, that they commit fraud in plain view, on a daily basis, while at the same time trying to pass laws that would further restrict and criminalize the public for doing the same.
This is a clear sign of excessive government, when the government is so large and overwhelmingly powerful that it's agents can abuse the civilian population without any sense of guilt, remorse, or fear - when government officials deny charges of illegal conduct made against themselves as a matter of semantics, and when agents of the government expect and get immunity from any of their actions; actions that would be criminally prosecuted upon any other citizens.
The few standing up for freedom, liberty, and the Constitution, are the only hope for America; the only hope for returning our empire-sized government to it's proper Constitutional levels of national defense, upholding the law, and protecting the rights of the people and individual liberties. There's been a lot of debate at the State Capitol on bills relating to voter integrity. Some lawmakers are pushing for measures such as requiring voters to show a photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot.
Another bill would criminalize anyone who delivers a ballot for someone unable to drive to the polls. With so much emphasis on one vote for one person, you'd think lawmakers would make sure they follow the rules, too.

In this CBS 42 Investigates, Nanci Wilson found many don't. State Representative Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, authored the bill that would require voters to show a photo ID. "It's all about integrity," Riddle said. But the integrity of one person, one vote doesn't apply at the legislature. CBS 42 found many lawmakers vote more than once. During a vote, Riddle votes, turns around and votes again for another state representative. There's so much going on during the vote on the HPV vaccine mandate, you really have to pay attention.

First, State Rep. Mike Hamilton is at his desk. He leans over to vote a second time for his deskmate Dan Branch. Hamilton reaches back to vote for Charlie Howard, then casts a fourth vote for Wayne Smith. He's not the only one scrambling to vote.

State Rep. G.E. West and State Rep. Larry Phillips both lean over to vote for themselves and their deskmates. Phillips votes a third time for State Rep. Wayne Christian.

Donna Howard votes for State Rep. Hubert Vo. State Rep. Jim Dunnam didn't have to leave his chair to cast four votes--one for himself then for Garnet Coleman, Trey Martinez Fischer and Marc Veasey. Sometimes the voting is across party lines. Will Hartnett, a Republican, reaches back to vote for Democrat Rene Oliveira. Democrat Jim McReynolds votes for Republican Kirk England, and Republican John Davis votes for Democrat Rick Noriega. Most voters have no way of knowing if their lawmakers are actually casting their own votes. Even though the legislature is broadcast on cable TV, the cameras change when it's time to vote. But if you're sitting in the third floor gallery, you have a better view. "I certainly noticed. There appears to be far more votes on the tick board than there were people in the room," capitol visitor Laurel Weiss said. Arnie and Laurel Weiss were baffled when they came to see the legislature in action. "It seems very inappropriate and they should do something about it," Arnie Weiss said. Riddle says voting for other members is done out of necessity. "We have a lot of amendments," Riddle said. "We don't have lunch breaks, dinner breaks, restroom breaks." Necessity or not, one thing is clear, they aren't supposed to be doing it. According to the official House rules--written, voted and approved by lawmakers at the beginning of the session--"Any member found guilty by the House of knowingly voting for another member on the voting machine shall be subject to discipline deemed appropriate by the House." So, should lawmakers do it? "No, there's no question," Weiss said. "On face value it appears to be a blatant violation, an affront, of their own rules." It is against their own rules. But the issue is with enforcement. It is the speaker's job to make sure rules are followed. When CBS 42 asked Speaker of the House Tom Craddick's spokesperson about it, she just shrugged her shoulders and said it was up to the House members to decide what do to if there's a violation. Although the practice is widespread, CBS 42 couldn't find any instances of lawmakers being disciplined for voting more than once.

Current Politics dominated by ignorance?

More of the same bigoted language from McCain supporters. This time from the predominantly white people from the town of Potts ville, Pennsylvania, where McCain supporters could be seen yelling, "Bomb Obama!"

How did politics in the US come to be dominated by people who make a virtue out of ignorance? Was it charity that has permitted mankind’s closest living relative to spend two terms as president? How did Sarah Palin, Dan Quayle and other such gibbering numbskulls get to where they are? How could Republican rallies in 2008 be drowned out by screaming ignoramuses insisting that Barack Obama is a Muslim and a terrorist?
On one level this is easy to answer. Ignorant politicians are elected by ignorant people. US education, like the US health system, is notorious for its failures. In the most powerful nation on earth, one adult in five believes the sun revolves around the earth; only 26% accept that evolution takes place by means of natural selection; two-thirds of young adults are unable to find Iraq on a map; two-thirds of US voters cannot name the three branches of government; the maths skills of 15 year-olds in the US are ranked 24th out of the 29 countries of the OECD.

But this merely extends the mystery: how did so many US citizens become so dumb, and so suspicious of intelligence? Susan Jacoby’s book The Age of American Unreason provides the fullest explanation I have read so far. She shows that the degradation of US politics results from a series of interlocking tragedies.

The Republican Politics of Hate and Fear.

We'd like to talk about the pressing issues facing our country: the woeful economy, rising unemployment, the housing crisis, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But we can't talk about them because John McCain and Sarah Palin have distracted us with the politics of hate and fear.

Instead of discussing the real issues plaguing Americans, McCain and Palin have turned to fear-mongering and race-baiting, stoking the prejudices of their supporters. The situation has become so critical that we've teamed up with Color of Change to put an end to these dangerous mob scenes.

Things have gotten so out of control that some conservatives have come forward to denounce McCain and Palin's hate-mongering. In an Op-Ed for The Baltimore Sun, Frank Schaeffer writes: "John McCain: If your campaign does not stop equating Sen. Barack Obama with terrorism, questioning his patriotism and portraying Mr. Obama as "not one of us," I accuse you of deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate, and therefore of potentially instigating violence

Acorn: The same song but different election year.

Like you I believe that Voting and elections is a critical issue that must be discussed around every dinner table and lunch counter in America. It is a discussion that concerns who we are and who we will be as a nation. It is a discussion that must be based in truth, fact, and honesty. Watch the video; the same song but different election year.

Racist GOP Mailing depicts Obama surrounded by KFC, Watermelon and Food Stamps.

This is by far one of the most ignorant things i've personally seen someone create. This is outrageous and this is just not the right thing to do to gain votes. I am see this as a direct blow to the African American Culture and To connect all African Americans with cool-aid, fried chicken and watermelon is racist.

That "Obama Bucks" image sent out by a Republican women's club in San Bernardino County, which featured a photo of Barack Obama on paper currency surrounded by a potpourri of racially-charged Jim Crow-era images? Turns out it wasn't created by club president, Diane Fedele, but was lifted from Please God No, a satirical website devoted to skewering the Republican right.
The originator of Obama Bucks -- we'll call him Joe the Blogger -- is no stranger to the tasteless joke and the offensive image. Steeped in the scorched earth impudence of "South Park" and following in the irreverent footsteps of the Onion, Joe the Blogger's site has drawn scores of outraged comments for posts about dead Boy Scouts, Heath Ledger, genital odor and the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, which uses the N-word.

If Obama Bucks was going to draw much fire, Joe the Blogger always assumed it would be directed at him. To have the very Republicans he mocks misunderstand the satire and go up in flames for his work leaves him bemused.
"It’s horrible " Joe the Blogger said. "I feel bad for the poor lady who did this, but how stupid do you have to be not to see the racial aspects?"
Fedele came under fire for the mailer and for her subsequent claim that she didn't notice the image's racist nature. Even as she apologized and her fellow club members disavowed the mailer, the story -- and reactions to it -- shot around the world.

Though Fedele's caption ("Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on ????? Food Stamps, what else!") associated Obama with food stamps.
"It was so over-the-top and obviously racial and offensive, and that was the point of it," Joe the Blogger said.

Diane Fedele, president of a San Bernardino County Republican women’s club criticized over its use of "Obama Bucks," a racially charged illustration of Barack Obama, has resigned her post.
The image of Obama on play money flanked by fried chicken, watermelon and ribs quickly went worldwide, as did Fedele's explanation that she didn't realize the symbolism could be considered racist.

Diane Fedele faced intense pressure from state GOP leaders who called the drawing racist and Democrats who demanded she quit as head of the Upland-based Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated.
In a sometimes combative apology sent to club members, Fedele said she received the illustration through a chain e-mail and used it for a "satiric" attack on what she sees as Obama’s "socialist" agenda of government giveaways. When confronted by an African American club member, she said she apologized for the cartoon. Despite that, Fedele said the woman took the story to the media.
"For many it may be hard to believe, but some people do not associate certain foods with particular groups," she said. "I do not think like a bigot, and because of that fact I did not view this as racial, because I do not have a racially discriminating point of view."
No, really, it wasn't. In fact, you're racist for thinking it's racist.

She accused the media of branding Republicans racist whenever they criticize the Democratic presidential nominee.
Hector Barajas, a spokesman for the state GOP, said the decision to resign was a personal one between Fedele and the 200-member club.
"As far as we are concerned these images and words have no place in this campaign," he said. Ironically, the illustration was created by a liberal blogger as an attempt to make fun of Republicans. Someone e-mailed it to Fedele, who then put it in her newsletter.
Fedele's resignation is effective immediately. Our article about the liberal blogger who created the image as satire — and was startled to find it used by Republicans — is here.
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which broke the Diane Fedele/Obama Bucks story, critics had planned to protest at the club's meeting tonight, but that meeting has been canceleda>.

Why Joe Arpaio Must go.

The "Sheriff Command Ascociation" gave the GOP $105K to run dishonest and filthy ads against Dan Saban. But who is the SCA? The AZ GOP party found themselves in trouble by taking the money and may have broken 8 seperate laws. Some are felonies.

A top Maricopa County sheriff's deputy is the point man for a mysterious political group that has given $105,000 to the state Republican Party in recent months, money that Democratic leaders say was used to pay for attack ads against Democratic candidates Dan Saban and Tim Nelson.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has denied any link between his campaign and the attack ad against his opponent, Saban.

The ad was produced by the Republican Party and Arizonans for Public Safety, a group headed by state GOP Chairman Randy Pullen. The two groups also paid for a commercial attacking Nelson, who is running against County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

Donations from a group calling itself the Sheriff's Command Association made to the state Republican Party prompted the Arizona Democratic Party to file campaign finance complaints earlier this week with state and county elections agencies.

On Thursday, Sean McCaffrey, executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, said Capt. Joel Fox, a division commander in the sheriff's office, is the party's contact person for the mysterious association. The GOP's most recent finance report lists the association only by its initials and describes it as an "unincorporated association of individuals."

Fox "is, indeed, the individual with whom chairman Pullen requested the names of SCA's donors when their contributions to the Arizona Republican Party arrived, and we needed to have the information to file more properly," McCaffrey said.

Fox did not immediately respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

No one from SCA has responded to the party's request for specific information about the donors, McCaffrey said.

"We have since more loudly requested the information, and if that information isn't forthcoming from SCA, then we will act accordingly in a very timely manner," McCaffrey said. He refused to explain what those actions might include.

Pullen did not return calls for comment.

The Democrat's complaint alleges that SCA and the Republican Party have broken state campaign finance laws that regulate how political groups operate. SCA has not registered as a political action committee as required and is trying to hide who the money is coming from, the complaint alleges.

"This deeply underscores the need for a quick and independent investigation," Emily DeRose, spokeswoman for the state Democrats, said of Fox's connection to SCA.

On Thursday, Arpaio reiterated he had nothing to do with the ads. He said Fox's connection to the anonymous donations does not prove otherwise.

"I don't care," Arpaio said. "I have nothing to do with the independent expenditure, period."

Some TV stations refused to run the commercials, and the GOP ultimately pulled the ads.

McCaffrey said he does not know what position Fox holds within SCA or who else is involved.

The Maricopa County Recorder's Office, which runs county elections, has forwarded the complaint to the county attorney's office and to an outside law firm to advise the agency on how to proceed

Joe Arpaio Got to go!!!!!!!!!

Many Republicans In Arizona have important views on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's job performance and policies. Listen to what they say.

Contrary to what you hear coming out of Arpaio's office, there is plenty of evidence that his jails and tactics are not "humane." In fact, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors have paid for at least seven studies that call into questions not only Arpaio's lack of management and oversight, but also the conditions of the jails and the treatment of detainees. The bottom line is whenever Joe Arapio tells you there is no proof that his jails are inhumane or that his jails have "always passed Constitutional muster," a total of seven independent analyses and three internal documents--one written by Arpaio himself--has found jail conditions to be well below Constitutional muster AND have fallen on the deaf ears of both the MCSO and the Board of Supervisors, who have taken no action to address those concerns.

MacTheSame.Misleading Americans.

On one of the key issues in the campaign is- who is telling the truth about taxes?. McCain included in his economic message another shot at Obama mocking Barack's claim to be a tax cutter meanwhile Sen. John McCain on Tuesday sought to discredit Sen. Barack Obama's economic record, telling voters that "perhaps never before in history have the American people been asked to risk so much based on so little."

As the Arizona senator outlined his new economic proposals, he used some of his most pointed language to date to describe what he said was the difference between himself and Obama on the economy.
As the Arizona senator outlined his new economic proposals, he used some of his most pointed language to date to describe what he said was the difference between himself and Obama on the economy.
"He's an eloquent speaker, but even he can't turn a record of supporting higher taxes into a credible promise to cut taxes. What he promises today is the opposite of what he has done his entire career," McCain said at a rally in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
"Perhaps never before in history have the American people been asked to risk so much based on so little. You can look at the record of what he's done or you can just go with your gut, but either way you're left with the same conclusion: Sen. Obama is going to raise your taxes, and in this economy, raising taxes is the surest way to turn a recession into a depression."
McCain repeated his claim that Obama voted 94 times to raise taxes. According to a CNN fact check, that claim is misleading. Fact check: Did Obama vote 94 times to raise taxes?
Obama told reporters Tuesday that he hadn't reviewed the details of McCain's latest proposals, but said that in the past few weeks McCain has put forth some "very bad ideas" as well as "some good ideas."
To counter charges that their candidate would raise taxes, the Obama campaign on Tuesday posted an online calculator that allows users to compare what their tax cuts would look like under each of the candidate's proposals.
The campaign said they expect McCain to "lie about Obama's tax plan" during the final presidential debate, which takes place Wednesday in Hempstead, New York.
Obama on Tuesday was in Toledo, Ohio, to prepare for the debate.
McCain criticized Obama as a "man who now presents himself as a tax cutter and champion of middle-class America" despite revising his tax plans "with each new poll."
Obama's tax plan would cut taxes for most taxpayers, but raise them for the wealthiest. The largest increases would be on the top 1 percent of earners, according to analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research group whose staff includes former economic advisers to the White House and Congress under both Republicans and Democrats. Fact check: Does Obama want to raise taxes?
By comparison, the Tax Policy Center analysis says McCain would offer tax cuts across the board.
McCain on Tuesday told voters his "plan for economic recovery does not require guesswork or blind faith from the American people."
"You know my record. You don't have to hope I will do what I promise," he said.
McCain outlined his new economic proposals, which the campaign says will help those who are "hurting the most" in the face of the ongoing financial crisis.
The proposals come one day after Obama detailed his "economic rescue plan" for the middle class. The Democrat's plan focuses on stabilizing the financial system, providing relief for families and communities, and helping struggling homeowners. Watch more on the candidates' economic plans »
McCain's plan, called "the pension and family security plan," builds on the Arizona senator's "American home ownership resurgence plan," which was introduced last week.
That proposal called for using $300 billion of the $700 billion financial bailout package to keep Americans in their homes, stop declining housing values, and stabilize the financial markets.
McCain's new plan includes specific proposals to help seniors, those saving money and homeowners. Watch analysis of McCain and women voters »
The plan will help seniors by lowering taxes on withdrawals from their retirement accounts and suspending tax rules that force them to sell their stocks during the financial crisis, the campaign said.
The plan will help those saving money by accelerating the tax write-offs for those forced to sell stocks at a loss in the current market and reducing capital gains taxes for 2009 and 2010 to raise the incentive to save and invest, according to the campaign.
To provide relief for homeowners, the plan includes a proposal to purchase mortgages directly from the homeowners and mortgage servicers and replace them with manageable, fixed-rate mortgages.
To assist workers, the plan would eliminate taxes on unemployment benefits, according to the campaign.
Obama's campaign said McCain's proposals are "a day late and 101 million middle-class families short." Fact check: McCain's plan gives 100 million no relief?
The campaign said McCain's plan doesn't offer enough tax relief for working families and small businesses.
McCain has his work cut out for him when it comes to the economy, according to recent polls.
The most recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll suggests that Americans think Obama would do a better job than McCain when it comes to the economy. 57 percent of those polled said Obama would do a better job dealing with the economy, with 37 percent saying McCain would do better.
Some conservative leaders have warned that if McCain doesn't step it up on the economy, he'll lose the election. Watch analysts discuss what it would take for McCain to win »
"Either McCain wins the argument over the economy or he loses," Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, told Politico.
McCain's No. 2, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, gave an interview Tuesday on Rush Limbaugh's radio show, just minutes before taking the stage at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Limbaugh asked Palin if she had thought about her political future after this election. She told the conservative talker and his millions of listeners: "That's a good question."
But she then quickly re-assured Limbaugh that her focus was on winning the White House with McCain.
"No, because I am thinking about November 4, and I am just so absolutely passionate about the job that we have in front of us from now to November 4," she said. Link here:

The Sleeping Giant VOTE is AWAKE.

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Are you with me on a roller coaster election season or not?. One thing’s for sure: 2008 will be the year of the immigrant and Latino voter. Political scientist Matt Barreto of the University of Washington predicts that more than 9 million Hispanic voters will turn out this year compared to 7.6 million in 2004.And it's no accident. Groups like the We Are America Alliance and their My Vote / Our Future campaign, which is on track to register 500,000 new voters and get one million voters to the polls, are coordinating like never before to make sure Latino and immigrant citizens make their voices heard. After election day, these voters will get to work pressing for immigration reform.In a new nationwide survey, the Pew Hispanic Center found that 93% of Latinos nationwide said that immigration was important to them. To these voters, it’s not just a question of how many visas we offer and to whom, but whether they and their families feel welcomed in the United States. As Cecilia Muñoz, Senior Vice President at the NCLR recently said, immigration “tends to determine who the good guys are and the bad guys are for Latinos.” This has made the extremists who’ve dominated immigration politics very nervous about what’s coming: a newly organized powerhouse demanding that Washington deliver real, comprehensive immigration reform.

Middle Class Americans : Homeless Without a House Neither a place to Vote.

Bush Asks Americans to Support Bailout but the real question is. Why President Bush and Congress do not support More than a Million people who lost their dreams, their hard work values: Their House?. Where are those fundamental Values? The American Values? We the People?

In a speech to the nation, President Bush calls on Americans
to support the economic recovery plan. Mr. Bush has invited
presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, as well
as top lawmakers, to the White House for economic crisis.

But More than a million people have lost their homes through foreclosure in the last two years, and many of them are still registered to vote at the address of the home they lost. Now election officials and voting rights groups are struggling to prevent thousands of them from losing their vote when they go to the polls in November.

Many of these voters will be disqualified at the polls because, in the tumult of their foreclosure, they neglected to tell their election board of their new address. Some could be forced to vote with a provisional ballot or challenged by partisan poll watchers, a particular concern among Democrats who fear that poor voters will be singled out. That could add confusion and stretch out lines that are already expected to be long because of unprecedented turnout.

Federal election officials say they are concerned that voters are not being properly informed of how to update their addresses.

“Our biggest concern is that many of these voters will stay home or that poll workers will give misinformation,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting.

Todd Haupt, a home builder, lost his home in Josephville, Mo., to foreclosure last year, and said he had since become much more interested in politics. But asked whether he had remembered to update his voter registration information when he moved into his parents’ home in St. Charles, Mo., Mr. Haupt, 33, paused silently. “Is that required?” he said. “I had no idea.”

“I’ve moved three times in the past two years,” he added. “Keeping my voter registration information was not top on my mind because I figured it was all set already.”

Ms. Rodriguez said the commission issued a notice this month encouraging voters to update their registration information before the Oct. 6 cutoff date imposed by many states for new voter registrations. She added that the commission considered issuing a notice this month informing local officials how to handle these voters, but in the end decided not to give poll chal-lengers any ideas on new tactics for singling out voters.

Many of the nation’s highest foreclosure rates are also in crucial swing states like Colorado, Florida, Michigan and Ohio. Because many homeowners in foreclosure are black, Hispanic or poor, and are considered probable Democratic voters in many areas, the issue has begun to have political ramifications. Political parties have long challenged voters with expired registrations, but the possible use of foreclosure lists to remove people from the rolls — though entirely legal — has become a new partisan flashpoint.

Last week, Senator Barack Obama’s campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court, seeking to prohibit the Michigan Republican Party from using foreclosure lists to single out and challenge voters. The state Republican Party has denied having any such plans.

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, sent a letter last week along with a dozen other Democratic senators to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey asking him to ensure that voters facing foreclosure are not harassed or intimidated at polling places.

In Ohio, liberal-leaning groups are planning to help people in foreclosure and families who are homeless to vote by using a five- to seven-day window starting Sept. 30 when state residents are permitted to register and cast an early ballot simultaneously. The Republican Party has filed a lawsuit in state court to block registering and voting on the same day, arguing that state law forbids it.

Asked whether his party planned to use foreclosure information to compile challenge lists, Robert Bennett, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, said the party did not discuss its election strategies in public.

Similar questions were raised two years ago over how to deal with more than a million people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Some of these voters were never found, while others were able to vote with absentee ballots or at satellite locations outside New Orleans.

“Foreclosure victims are distinctly vulnerable because they are not officially recognized as a group needing voting help,” said Robert M. Brandon, president of the Fair Elections Legal Network, a liberal-leaning voting rights group.

Last month, his organization sent letters to the secretaries of state in Arizona, Florida, Missouri and Ohio, asking them to better educate foreclosure victims on their rights. The letters argued that the laws in these states do not bar such voters from voting in their former jurisdictions if their intent is to move back as soon as circumstances allow

On Wednesday, Jennifer L. Brunner, the Ohio secretary of state who is a Democrat, sent out an advisory to all local officials instructing them what to do if anyone who has lost a home to foreclosure shows up at the polls. If the address listed for such voters is no longer valid, and they moved outside the precinct, Ms. Brunner said, poll workers are instructed to send the voter to the polling place that corresponds to the voter’s new address. The voter will then be given a provisional ballot — special ballots that can be counted only after the voter’s eligibility is verified — at the proper polling place, the directive said.

The state requires that election officials send a notice to all registered voters verifying their address 60 days before an election to check the accuracy of the voter rolls. This month, Ms. Brunner ruled that an undeliverable notice will not be grounds enough on its own for a voter to be removed from the registration lists.

So far, election officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio have sent out notices to residents in select counties who have filed for a change of address but who have not updated their voter registration.

But the number of people who have moved, through foreclosure or for any other reason, far exceeds the number of people who have notified their election boards. In Ohio, 375,000 people filed change-of-address forms with the Postal Service, but when state officials sent them cards asking for updated registration information, only 24,000 responded. In Missouri, where 250,000 people notified the Postal Service of their move, only 22,000 told the election board.

Robin Carnahan, the Missouri secretary of state, and a Democrat, said that she is trying to get local election officials to increase the number of poll workers to deal with any confusion or challenges of voters.

In 2004, a Republican Party official challenged a large number of voters at a largely black precinct in Boone County, Mo., causing a backup. Such challenges can cause long lines at polling places if there are not enough poll workers to pull challenged voters out of line, or if the workers have to consult with higher-level election officials for each challenge.

State political parties have traditionally used the mail to determine which voters to challenge. By sending out mailings to voters likely to be of the opposite party, and then seeing which mailings are returned as undeliverable, they know whom to challenge at the polls for not living at their registered address. Using public lists of foreclosed homes, however, can save money by allowing a party to avoid sending out mailings.

William Nowling, a spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party, said that Democratic complaints about foreclosure victims being singled out were baseless.
“We are not using foreclosure lists in any way,” Mr. Nowling said, accusing Democratic groups of engaging in fear-mongering by spreading rumors of such plans. “Our voter integrity efforts are solely designed to fight voter fraud perpetrated by the Democrats, of which there is ample proof and examples, including previous elections where the F.B.I. had to seize and secure ballots in Detroit because ballot boxes were being stuffed.”

Barack Obama and John McCain with their Implications on Immigration and Latin America

INTERVIEWER: "You voted for the construction of the wall between Mexico and the United States...

"JOHN MCCAIN: "I didn't vote for an...I am not sure what you are talking about, but we can secure...our borders with walls and/or fences in urban areas, and then virtual fences, vehicle barriers.

INTERVIEWER: "But, you did vote for the wall.

"MCCAIN: "I didn't vote for an...I don't know what you are exactly what you are referring to."--Interview with Univision, Sept. 15, 2008.

Trolling for the votes of Hispanic Americans, John McCain distanced himself this week from plans to build a 700-mile wall along sections of the 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexico border. He suggested that he preferred a "virtual" electronic wall, with actual physical fences only in urban areas. But that claim misrepresents his vote back in September 2006, when he helped pass the "Secure Fence Act."The FactsAs a leading proponent of immigration reform, the Arizona senator long took the view that action designed to stop the flow of illegal aliens into the country should be combined with offering a path to legal citizenship to those that were already here. But he changed his position in 2006 as he prepared for his presidential bid, and voted for a law that was focused almost exclusively on keeping illegal aliens out. The law stipulates that a large stretch of the new wall would be built in McCain's home state of Arizona.Most of the top presidential candidates, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, joined McCain in voting for the "Secure Fence Act," which passed the Senate by 80-19.Questioned by the Spanish language television station Univision about his support for the fence, McCain claimed that he did not know what the interviewer was talking about. But the language of the legislation is very clear. Section 3 of the Act orders the Department of Homeland Security to oversee the construction of "at least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors" along five sections of the border, totaling 700 miles.In the meantime, the Obama campaign has also put out a television adaccusing McCain of "lying" to win Latino votes while supporting hardline Republican policies on immigration and other matters. The advertisement attempts to link McCain to the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who appears on screen along with quotes like "Shut your mouth or get out."As several bloggers have pointed out, here and here, the Limbaugh quotes have been taken out of context. The attempt to link McCain to Limbaugh is also unfair, given the fact that the radio host has frequently criticized McCain, particularly on the issue of immigration reform.The Pinocchio TestBoth McCain and Obama have taken liberties with the truth in seeking the support of Hispanic-Americans, who are emerging as a crucial voting bloc in the presidential election. McCain had a politically convenient memory lapse in forgetting his vote for a physical wall along long sections of the Mexican border, while Obama incorrectly suggested that his rival shares Limbaugh's ideas on immigration.

While the USA is building walls alone the US-Mexico border, Latin America is now building diplomatic walls to keep the USA from meddlings in their internal affairs. It's a tit for tat situation. Just look at the expulsion of USA ambassadors and the hostile effects on others USA diplomats assigned to Latin America.The fact is clear, this will be a Hispanic century throughout the Americas. The fact remains that both the USA government and it's citizens are now some of the most hated of individuals throughout Latin America. Years of supporting Neo-fascists right wing governments and undermining civil and human rights in Latin America with obsolete weapons to keep the fascists in power is now coming to haunt the USA and it's entirety. The centuries old ignorance and arrogance the USA has for it's Western Hemisphere neighbors has added fuel to the distrust most Latin Americans have for the USA. China and Russia have now taken the lead in cultural exchanges, interactions, economic and trade in Latin America. It can now be said with certainty that the sun has set on the USA, not only throughout Latin America, but the rest of the civilized world. Pity. It's going to take a long time, perhaps hundreds of years, for the USA to be viewed or trusted throughout the Western Hemisphere. It's going to take much more than Obama (much less McCain) to change the hatred and mistrust Latin America has with the USA. The next ten-twenty years will tell the story.

Let's all contribute... we can't get ahead if only a part of the country is committed. Some think that the greatest generation has something to do with war. The greatest generation has everything to do with Americans of all ages, races, and genders coming together as one, in understanding that each one of us can and must make a difference, and most importantly in believing that the price for freedom is always worth it.

The American Dream is Over for Latinos?

Latinos in the U.S. are increasingly Upset about their situation and disapprove of aggressive immigration enforcement policies of the Bush administration -- findings that could have implications for the presidential election -- a new survey shows.
Nearly 10% of Latinos said they had been stopped by police or other authorities and asked about their immigration status in the last year, including 8% of Latinos born in the U.S.

Nearly 15% said it had been hard to find or keep a job because they were Latino, and 10% said the same thing about finding or keeping housing. And 57% of Latinos worry that they or a friend or family member will be deported, up from 53% last year.
Half of those surveyed by the Pew Hispanic Center said the situation for Latinos in the U.S. was worse now than a year ago. In last year’s survey, a third took that view.

"There is a significant deterioration in the mood of Hispanics," said Susan Minushkin, deputy director of the center, a nonpartisan research group.
Unhappiness among Latinos could have consequences for the presidential election, particularly for Republican John McCain, who is striving in ads and speeches for an immigrant-friendly image.

The Pew survey found that 66% of Latino registered voters backed Barack Obama and 23% supported McCain, results reported earlier. Those levels mark a swing back to traditional levels of Latino support for Democratic presidential candidates after a groundswell of support for President Bush.
Bush drew 40% of Latino voters in 2004, an unprecedented showing for a Republican candidate.

Latinos comprise 8% of U.S. voters, but a larger proportion in some key swing states, said Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center: 35% in New Mexico, 14% in Florida and about 12% of voters in Nevada and Colorado.
Pew researchers found that the issue of immigration was playing a more important role for Latinos in this presidential election year than in 2004. Thirty-four percent of Latinos said the issue was extremely important, up from 28% in 2004.
Almost half of Latinos said the Democratic Party had more concern for immigrants, whereas 7% said that of the Republican Party.
When Pew researchers asked Latino registered voters which candidate was better for immigrants, 50% chose Obama, 12% McCain.

McCain wrote a 2006 bill with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) that would have given most illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
McCain distanced himself from that view in 2007, when he began campaigning for president. He has since said he would not vote for the bill.

The Pew survey found widespread disapproval among U.S.- and foreign-born Latinos for immigration enforcement methods such as workplace raids and criminal prosecution of illegal immigrants.

Will McCain will have the courage to change the curse of America?

The idea of linking McCain to Bush is, of course, sound. This is a serious business. Trying to make it funny is not the right approach. Stick to the fact that McCain is in fact running for Bush's Third Term, and you have some doubts it will reflecting on our future but the question it will be is. McCain would have the courage, power and desire to change the curse of the Conservative Republicans and Bush Legacy.

GOP Accountable and Guilt by association on my comprehensive 2 Cents.

Puts into perspective the Republican Party's summer theme song, "Do-Nothing Congress." It bears remembering as just one example of the difference Democrats are trying to make in how our country is governed—and evidence that the Republican spin that Congress can't get anything done under Democratic rule is just plain wrong.

There is a list of Republican scandals: Rep. Billy Tauzin getting a lucrative pharmaceutical trade association job after pushing through Congress a bill benefiting the industry, Jack Abramoff buying favors from Republican lawmakers with lavish trip and other gifts, Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham inserting money into an appropriations bill for a defense contractor whose owner bundled campaign contributions on his behalf, former Rep. Bob Ney receiving illegal gifts from lobbyists but, though jailed and disgraced, still able to receive his lifetime pension.

Republicans promised ethics reform in 2006, when they replaced their ethically defiant majority leader, Tom DeLay, with the ethically nonchalant John A. Boehner. But they did not deliver. They had to be pushed out of control of Congress in order for a consequential ethics reform bill to get through Congress. The bill now going to the White House is not perfect, of course, but the dark alleys where lobbyists and lawmakers cut their deals will be better illuminated and more regulated—that is, if President Bush signs the bill, which the White House has hinted he may not.

In spite of accomplishments such as this one, conservatives will nonetheless pound that "do-nothing Congress" line relentlessly this month, with the expected result that public approval of Congress, already low, will get even lower. If Republicans can't have their way, it seems, they will wreck the entire governing process if necessary to make sure Democrats don't, either.

The Republican Party should be a wake-up call to all Americans.

The Republicans are responsible for taking a country with balanced budget and a surplus, to a country ravaged by war and debt — a debt with which our grandchildren will find impossible to fulfill in years to come.

Then takings us to a War were a Great controversy emerged when no stockpiles of WMDs were found, leading to accusations that the United States, The present Administration had deliberately inflated intelligence or lied about Iraq's weapons in order to justify an invasion of the country. The Center for Public Integrity asserted President Bush's administration made a total of 935 false statements between 2001 and 2003 about Iraq's alleged threat to the United States, add some 5,000 Americans killed, 30,568 more wounded or permanently maimed and a 1,255,026 million Iraqis killed or maimed (including a lot of children) and millions of other Iraqis made homeless.

This baleful heritage also leaves a record number of jobless and homeless, right here at home, with the gulf between rich and poor ever widening blaming undocumented Immigrants for most of the our problems.

Three out of four Americans, including large numbers of Republicans, blame President Bush's economic policies for making the country worse off during the last eight years.

Even America’s trade deficit shot up in July to the highest level in 16 months as oil imports hit an all-time high, offsetting strong export growth. The deficit with China climbed to the second highest level on record, rising 16.1 percent to $24.9 billion.

The Commerce Department reported today that the deficit rose by 5.7 percent to $62.2 billion in July, much worse than the $58 billion deficit that Wall Street expected.
With the mortgage crisis with 119 billions of mortgages held directly by financial institutions in the US had gone bad, no one would have noticed outside any specific failures.

The McCain campaign has said it would privatise both institutions after they had been restructured and the credit markets had stabilised.

”McCain has been out there with a hasty ’privatise and shrink’ approach,” Mr Furman told the Financial Times. ”It has been ideologically driven and not sufficiently mindful of some of the public functions that Fannie and Freddie currently perform. The trick is how to disentangle their private and public functions and how to manage the complex task of the transition.

McCain will get real regulation that limits their ability to borrow, shrinks their size until they are no longer a threat to our economy, and privatises and eliminates their links to the government.”

Economists say that although the two campaigns have distinct political approaches, they continue to be light on detail. The Obama campaign has been specific about which guiding principles it would apply to the disentanglement of the two institutions. But it has yet to offer detail about what functions the shrunken government-chartered Fannie and Freddie would be permitted to carry out.

At the same time It is no surprise that Americans are feeling very pessimistic about the economy -- with rising gas and oil prices and food prices affecting their pocketbooks. There has been a lack of leadership and a lack of timeliness of leadership, of not being conscious of the magnitude of the American problems. Politicians and Government They don't see the rise in prices. . . . Americans blame the president, along with the oil companies, for not having done enough to stem the tide of rising gas prices. The rising cost of fuel had caused hardship for their families, and the pain appeared to be spread across all income groups but not understanding people the root and cause for being on this hardship situation rather than blame them for making a poor decisions.

Given the facts, it is hard to believe that the Republicans will get away with spinning their obstruction strategy into something that makes Democrats the obstructionists. But it would be dangerous to underestimate a conservative movement that has consistently over the 40 years succeeded in persuading people to buy into nostrums like Ronald Reagan's "government is the problem" even as it hoards more and more government power for its own oligarchic ends.

You want to vote this agenda back into office? C'mon, Let's get real and require a real change. As I always said: In my fight for Equal Justice and Rights; I am not a Republican -I am not a Democrat -I am not an Independent -I am an Mexican American a Human Being.

The Great Wall of Shame and Politics

There is a clear divide between political parties as well. "Fifty-eight percent of Democrats opposed a fence on the Mexican border, while 66 percent of Republicans favor one. Independents mildly favor a fence, by a 55 percent to 44 percent margin,
For now, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain will be able to play some golf in the University of Texas at Brownsville and point around the north side to the visible result of the secure border policy. They’ll have to win over the critics and explain how a barrier of this magnitude works. History is littered with examples of failed attempts, like the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall and the Israeli-Palestine walls. That won’t be an easy ball to hit.

National organizations unite to engage new Hispanic voters.

FRESNO, Calif. - Major national Hispanic advocacy groups say they will merge their budgets and strategies to turn out new voters in battleground states where they think the Hispanic voting bloc could sway the presidential election.
More than 1 million first-time voters are forecast to join the rolls by next November, but no one knows how many will show up to the polls on Election Day.
So rather than sink their money into campaign mailers, the groups plan to bankroll a $3.2 million effort to pump out slick, Spanish-language ads and train volunteers to go door-to-door to convince newcomers that their votes count.

The effort announced in Washington on Wednesday unites Los Angeles-based National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Spanish-language media giant Univision and the National Council of La Raza, a leading national advocacy group linked to 300 community-based organizations.