Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Barack Obama- the new face of the democratic party

Wow, I don't know if anyone was watching the DNC on PBS tonight, actually about 5 minutes ago, but if you did, you saw one helluva speech. I think this may have been a better speech than Clinton's and he is merely a senate seat contender. If you live in Illinois, right now I envy you, you have Barack Obama.

I hadn't even heard of the guy before today, but for me, he said all of the right things. Everything I ever believed politically he stepped up and said. That we are all Americans, there is no Black America, there is no white america, there is no latino america, there is no asian america, there is only the united states of america (at least there should be).

I'm not talking about valcarcel style arguments where he gets fired up about the preservation of culture, i'm talking about pride and unity. the man spoke of the american dream. i haven't heard john kerry or john edwards speak at the DNC, but after Obana, i thought i had seen the future president of the united states. if you did not see him tonight, try to dig up the transcript or download a TiVo copy or something, the man is going to be huge, he has the charisma, he has a firm grasp of what he sees america's responsibility in the world and to its citizens as, and he has an undeniable sense of justice that i think has been lacking for a long time. What most stronly resonated with me was his story about the marine he met. A marine that was ready to serve his country and goto Iraq, but do we instill the same faith in our own people?

"As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns."

He has my admiration. If he doesn't falter somewhere down the road, you'll be seeing his face and hearing his name a lot more. I wouldn't be suprised if you saw him residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in a decade or so. Barack Obama everybody. Columbia University Undergraduate [poli sci, concentration internation relations].
Illinois watch out. Jack Ryan can't help you, and Mike Ditka won't.

"On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.
Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place; America which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas.
Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton's army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.
They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted-or at least, most of the time.
This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans—Democrats, Republicans, Independents—I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that's moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn't have the money to go to college.

Don't get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don't expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don't want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon.
Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems.

But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.
In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they've defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we've seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us.

John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he'll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren't held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never be the first option.

A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week.

As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns.

I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one's full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief-I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper-that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America-there's the United States of America.
There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here-the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America!

Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do-if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank you and God bless you."


keynote-2004-DNC- Barack Obama

Sunday, July 25, 2004

awesome awesome awesome

it's 1:10 am so i'm absolutely sure this journal won't become hot, but it doesn't really matter and shouldn't really matter, but i just wanted to write, dear diary style, about one of the best concerts i've been to in a long time. suprisingly it was in dear ol' jacksonville.

8pm. jackrabbits, definately waited an extra hour for the concert to start because that's just how the south is, slow pace and take your time. first band was a local raggae band and they weren't half bad to tell you the truth.

the entire reason i went to this show was because of Lola Ray. that avatar you see in the top left hand corner of my page, that's their band logo, they are one of THE most talented bands i've ever heard and now, seen perform. check out their video, i'm not sure where you can find it anymore, but it's out there, just search for it. I talked to them for a little bit after the show and they are just the nicest guys ever. thanks to katie k. for introducing me to them, there is absolutely no way i could have found them on my own, unless i payed attention to good charlotte and found out they got signed to gc's new label dc flag. but good charlotte is officially the worst band ever so no one reads their news page. they played an awesome set, it was everything i expected. this big ass redneck came up to the front and started giving the lead singer, jon the finger and giving him shit. their roadie came over to settle things down, and then the guy was acting like an ass and wanted to start a fight, then jon hawked a lugie onto him. damn. that guy had good aim. 5 minutes later, security pulled that fucker outta there. he was probably there to see pepper, sucks for him. he was outta there, just like the yankees who got beat by the red sox today!! hahahahahaha. sorry yankees fans, i can't hate on them... sorry again. anyways, that was awesome the end.

the headliner was pepper. Volcom's ONLY good band they have signed, well at least the only volcom band i've heard that doesn't suck. they play raggae but it's so diverse that they get into metal and punk and blow your face off rock. the best part of the show was when the guy goes, "are you in for scuba?" hahahahahahha. i don't know if anyone has seen that movie, but he did that whole scene, it was so great. SCUBA???

through the whole set, this girl next to me was dancing and grinding all over me. she kept looking at me and pressing herself into me and then she took off her shirt into her bikini. this girl reminded me of our lindsay lohan discussion, this girls boobs were HUGE. she wasn't half bad looking either, i guess i would have gone for it, she was all up on me anyways. well... no i wouldn't, she must have been about 16. i don't go that low... well not anymore, hahaha. this little voice in my head wanted to get her number or at least goto a corner with her, but then i remembered she was my brother's age and that's kinda fucked up. being away from school has me frustrated, two legs and boobs, sigh... that shouldn't be all there is to it, gotta fight it.

*EDIT: the girl i was talking about flashed everyone, they were nice in case you were wondering. and then the bassist from pepper humped my face from the stage. he just stepped forward, and pushed his bass and his crotch into my face. that was disturbing


anyways... if lola ray is coming to your town, check LOLARAY.com to find out, get your ass out to that show. pepper is playing the tour with them and definately stay for that shit. over and out, rock out, wang out. gross.




Sunday, July 18, 2004

awesome

i've been collecting toys since i was a little kid and today the usps showed up to my door and made life a little more awesome.

behold!









hmmm what else, i got a bunch of clothes and what not in the mail today. the best shirt i got was from http://www.syrentha.org/ which is a non-profit that this guy mark beemer started up to raise funds to assist those combating breast cancer, in memory of his wife. so basically he knew the producer for some bands, like thrice, and they do benefit concerts and make shirts and do race for the cure and such. so bands like thrice, kid dynamite, taking back sunday, thursday, bouncing souls, hot water music, good riddance, and most precious blood jumped on to help. guy is doing a great job, i'm so proud of him that he put all of this together in memory of his wife. i get all teary... then again i welled up in tears at the end of lord of the ring: return of the king.

so i got me one of these, it's sweet looking.

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on another note, i saw I, Robot today. Can't say it was a great adaptation of Asimov's book, but it wasn't meant to be. I thought it was awesome. Just a great summer flick that you can enjoy and not walk out scratching your head thinking about the deeper meanings of life. it's best said in the words of keanu reeves, "whooaaaah".

speaking of I, Robot, Bridget Moynahan is so beautiful... man i always wanted to meet a girl that looked like that, and had a personality like her character dr. calvin. hot hot hot. add her to my list of actresses i'm in love with.

-- Edited on 2004-07-17 23:31:53 --

-- Edited on 2004-07-18 00:59:09 --

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

ridiculous

I was listening to NPR on the way to work today and what made the little guy in my head dance around a bit was the story about the Bush campaign.

Bush is scared. I don't think this is anything new to anybody. His attacks I think, are going to register with the american public but in a way that he didn't expect. From the percentage of the population that uses their brain when they listen to things, I think their is going to be a pretty substantial backlash in terms of voting come time to elect the president.

Bush's new ads criticize Kerry for a lot, but they are so... well "grrrrrr".

Bush says, Kerry has spent so much time campaigning that he has failed to vote on numerous Senate issues. Kerry keeps defending himself saying that the votes he has skipped out on have been widely known to not be close issues where his vote would have mattered. Aren't presidential candidates supposed to be out campaigning? That's not what we should be looking at, where was Bush in the early part of his first year as President? it sure wasn't where he was needed most.

Everything that he accuses Kerry of, you have to wonder, didn't you do the same thing? He hasn't exactly been in his office while on the campaign trail either. How long can you accuse Kerry of things (Kerry isn't exactly a saint) before people decide to hold President Bush accountable? They jumped on Bill Clinton the second both of his scandals became public, and this was during his presidency. Why is everyone so aprehensive about tarnishing Bush's record by putting him under investigation during his? why does nobody want to step up and challenge him? he has challenged enough people in the past 2 months to last a lifetime, he challenged senators, congressmen and congresswomen, and he has challenged the integrity of the american public. when are people going to grab a hold of their balls and at least challenge him back on issues that matter.

Bush also said, John Kerry has made John Edwards his VP candidate. Edwards was a trial lawyer. We need to strengthen small businesses, trial lawyer and small businesses don't go together.

What in the hell, classic type statements you hear from Bush. These are completely unsubstantiated claims, what part of trial lawyer means that you are going to oppose small businesses? Because you file suit against big business and get settlements for people? what does that have to do with the guy down the street that owns a mulch store? bullshit.


ECONOMY CLAIM: "At home, obviously, the economy and jobs are on my mind. I know they're on yours, as well. I'm pleased that the economy is growing -- 5.6% unemployment is a good national number." – President Bush, 2/23/04

FACT: "There are the 8.7 million unemployed, defined as those without a job who are actively looking for work. But lurking behind that group are 4.9 million part-time workers who say they would rather be working full time — the highest number in a decade. There are also the 1.5 million people who want a job but didn't look for one" because the economy had become so bleak. "Add these three groups together and the jobless total for the U.S. hits 9.7%." Even the official unemployment rate is misleading. While "the unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent from 5.9 percent, that was because more people gave up looking for work." All told, the recent drop "was wholly due to a contraction in the labor force, which declined by 309,000." As the New York Times noted, "compared with previous economic recoveries, job growth remains well below par." [Source: LA Times, 12/29/03;]


good job running the country President Bush. if you didn't pick it up, that was sarcasm. It shows a deep sense of struggling when Bush chooses to advance his publicity by not showing off what he has done for the country, but depicting a skewed image of what someone else has not done. it's ok though, Bush is a Christian and therefore ethical...

Sunday, July 11, 2004

phelps is amazing.

gary hall jr. you are such a dork, by the way, you lost.

you're still cool though, even if you're a cocky bastard.

Sunday, July 04, 2004

new music.... tasty

first i think everyone should read this, on apple's site, since everyone in the world wants a free ipod. this one is legitimate but it's like finding a needle in a haystack or finding that one girl... or guy you want to spend of the rest of your life with. anyways.


“As we approach the unprecedented milestone of 100 million legally downloaded songs, we want to thank our customers who have made the iTunes Music Store such a stunning success,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “iTunes is pulling even further ahead of its competitors, and it’s all due to the wonderful customers we have.”

When the number of songs downloaded from Apple’s iTunes Music Store crosses 95 million, Apple will begin the countdown to 100 million songs by giving away 50 special 20GB iPods—one to the purchaser of each 100,000th song downloaded between 95 million and 100 million songs. In addition, the person who downloads the 100 millionth song will receive a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs to create the ultimate music library for the iPod and the opportunity to create a Celebrity Playlist to be published on the iTunes Music Store. See the official rules for complete details.


thanks steve jobs, you're cool.

so....

1. spiderman 2 soundtrack has good stuff on it.
*dashboard confessional- vindicated
*yellowcard- gifts and curses

you may hate these bands but i love them. even chris carraba and his mega ovaries.

2. Copeland- Know Nothing Stays The Same (covers)
track listing:
1. Coming Around Again (Carly Simon)
2. Another Day In Paradise (Phil Collins)
3. Take My Breath Away (Berlin)
4. She's Alawys A Woman (Billy Joel)
5. Part-Time Lover (Stevie Wonder)
6. Plus A BONUS Unlisted SURPRISE!

awesome.

3. hot rod circuit- reality's coming through
[wooooow another cd!]

4. taking back sunday- where you want to be
[well... i already have it but i figure i should buy a real copy]

5. Rise Against- Siren Song Of The Counter-Culture
[damn these guys are prolific]

6. Evergreen Terrace- At Our Worst
[yay for jacksonville bands getting out there, respectably. ahem... limp bizkit* cough cough*]

7. International Noise Conspiracy- The Armed Love
[like they are back from the dead or something.... whoah]

8. Authority Zero- Andiamo

9. and finally... Nikola Sarcevic- Lock-Sport-Krock
[solo effort from millencolin front man? weird. could be cool... could be suck. meh]

and this is my list that i shall keep for myself for the next few weeks to remember to buy these albums. ... and if you're interested and are reading this, check them out for yourself too.