This week’s Weird Health feature will be a Thursday edition.
You may have noticed both candidates’ campaigns are all over Florida this week. With 27 electoral votes and a very diverse population, this state is always a battleground. (see: election/recount 2000) Florida’s gone Republican in the last two elections and my particular area, the northwest panhandle, is extremely conservative. No Democrat since JFK in 1960 has carried the majority here.
Yet Michelle Obama held a rally here yesterday, and people lined up as early as 3 A.M. to get good seats. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go.
Fortunately! I had someone in the field.
In other words, meet my friend Cara Campion and her 10 year-old daughter, roving Asthma Mom photojournalists as of yesterday:
Cara and I have been friends for 13 years, and she’s been volunteering for the Obama campaign. Here’s a picture she took of the line waiting to hear Michelle speak. Look closely. You can see that it winds all the way around the venue:
Cara saw only a few protesters outside:
That white sign on the right is hard to read and partially blocked by the very edge of a *Veterans for Obama* sign that you can’t see well in this photo. The white sign says,
Check the Huffington Post. Colin Powell convinced the U.N. and both the Senate and Congress to give war power to the President but would not run for president because his wife would not let him fearing something bad happening to him. Hillary had bigger “cohones” than the General. I approve this message!
One person had a shout-out for Ohio:
Here’s Michelle herself, although I know she’s hard to see. Her speech focused on voting early, voting for change, voting for new energy and for a candidate who will work hard for everyone.
Which I did yesterday, actually. Early voting here in Florida started this week, and I had to wait in line approximately 25 minutes at the polling place yesterday to vote for Obama. The New York Times reports these early numbers:
In Florida, more than 785,000 ballots have been cast, with Republicans accounting for about 47 percent of them, compared with 39 percent for Democrats and 11 percent for independents.
Good reporting! For some reason, I find those convoluted protest signs amusing. But also scary.
Way to be the beacon of light in your conservative enclave!
How wonderful!
Last night at dinner, I was trying to explain to my youngest daughter why people were saying disrespectful things about McCain. I finally had to explain how he had changed since 2000 and how many folks were concerned about his judgement in selecting Palin. She asked what was wrong with Palin and I explained her speech in Colorado opposing raising a tiny sales tax to fund disability services for special ed. She said “that’s not very nice”. We continued eating and I murmured “and she doesn’t believe in dinosaurs either, or evolution”. My little muffin stopped eating and looked at me over her plate, aghast…. “But mom, that’s just stupid.”
Brought a tear to my eye, it did….
What a great update from Cara! I have been watching MSNBC around the clock, and I cannot wait until next Tuesday. I would have loved to hear Michelle speak. She’s going to make a great First Lady (knock on wood).
Speaking of First Lady Michelle Obama:
Michelle Obama is a racial-minority individual, and in her heart and mind she inevitably does not endorse hate crimes committed by George W. Bush.
George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog).
George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes.
And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention.
Many people know what Bush did.
And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world.
Bush was absolute evil.
Bush is now like a fugitive from justice.
Bush is a psychological prisoner.
Bush has a lot to worry about.
Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time.
In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
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I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it is a linguistically excellent statement, and it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think the quotation came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.