Protest Then and now

In 1967 70,000 came, a giant rally was held at at the Lincoln Memorial.  Some 50,000 of them went to the Pentagon, a few hundred tried to rush the stairs and the rest remained outside chanting in order to levitate the Pentagon.  The idea being when it levitated and turned oarnge the evil within would be gone.  The link below has further details.  Flowers were placed in the gun barrels of capital police.  Apparently there were arrests for picking flowers in a public park.

http://www.jofreeman.com/photos/Pentagon67.html

Recently a gasline at the home of a congressman's brother was cut when the health care bill was up for debate.  A number of other death threats were made as well.  Over the last few years people began showing up with guns at rallies.  Congressman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot along with several of her constituents. 

This was an event that was both unthinkable and predictable.  Rhetoric on Left and Right has moved towards encouraging violence.

Lame Duck Session 2010, Flying Straight

I have followed politics for quite some time and as lame duck congresses go, this one stepped up and got things done like few before.  Among its accomplishments a nuclear non-proliferation treaty.  A 911 health fund law.  Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed.  a food safety bill got passed.  Finally a temporary economic fix to renew tax breaks and unemployment benefits.

Don't Ask Don't Tell

Opponents of DADT are running  out of justification for opposing repeal of this policy.  First we were told we need to wait and follow the lead of our generals.  The head of the joint chiefs has said that congress should repeal DADT.  Then we were told it might be disruptive to the troops and we should wait for the results of a survey.  %70 of our military believes that repealing DADT will have little negative effect or no effect at all on troop readiness and morale.  No word yet on what the next excuse for not repealing DADT will be, but you can bet there will be another one soon enough.

Post Election

It is time for the last phase of any election,  explanations, recriminations, and blame.  We as a nation have been too impatient with Democrats expecting two years to be enough time to fix the damage caused during the previous eight.  Moderates have provided a second chance for republicans to fix the economy.  Apparrently the slogan, this time we won't mess up resonates better than we need more time to clean up the mess the last guy gave us.  Either that or the American Public wants gridlock to maintain the status quo.

Nov 1 Predictions

November 1st, the first Monday of November.  GOTV will be in effect until 7:00 P.M. tomorrow when the polls close.  I will make a few predictions for the election.  First of all, the GOP takes control of the house, but not the Senate.  D-Senator Michael Bennet beats R-Ken Buck in Colorado by less than 2%.  Ken Buck might have been able to win but over the course of the campaign developed a serious case of foot in mouth disease.   Within the last two weeks of the election with early voting in progress.  Ken Buck compared homosexuality to alcoholism and stated that "global warming is a hoax."  Comments like this have forced Buck to play defense. 

Colorado's CD-3 D-John Salazar will beat Scott Tipton by 5%

CD-4 D-Betsy Markey and R-Cory Gardner are coming down to the wire.  Markey and Gardner are fighting to the end.  American Constitution AC-Doug Aden and I-K. Waszkicz could draw conservatives from Cory Gardner.  Too close to call.  A further prediction...if Betsy Markey wins so does Michael Bennet

In the Colorado Gubernatorial race D-Mayor John Hickenlooper defeats AC-Tom Tancredo and R-Dan Maes does not get 10% forceing the Republicans into minority party status.

CD-6 R-Mike Coffman represents what may be the most conservative CD in the country.  D-John Flerage's campaign did not even try to raise money.  His campaign will be a useful survey of likely Democrats when 2012 comes around.

CD-7 D-Incumbent Ed Perlmutter has had to work for it but his campaign will win by 5% minimum

State Treasurer D-Cary Kennedy has had the ability to raise massive amounts of money.  Her opponent R-W.R. Stapleton is banking on people voting for his name.  His grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Stapleton who served five terms as Denver's Mayor.  Kennedy has managed Colorado's money well and will win.

Att. General R-John Suthers will win against Boulder District Attorney D-Stan Garnett.  Garnett may have had a chance but got into the race a little too late.  Suthers by 7%

Incumbent Sec. State D-Bernie Buescher has increased transparency and increased ease of voting.  R-Scott Gessler has little record to run on. Secretary Buescher will win by 10%

Karl Rove is back!

As much as Republicans are fond of accusing Democratic groups of interfering in local elections, they will not object to Karl Rove's American Crossroads or Senator Jim Demint's Americans for Job Security.  American Crossroads all by itself has raised 8 million dollars and has spent roughly one million dollars to defeat Senator Bennet in Colorado.

Moving the community center

     The Reverend Terry Jones of World Outreach Center in Florida who has a congregation of approximately 50 people has agreed to call off his planned burn a Quran day on September 11th because he claims that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has agreed to move the New York Islam community center Park 51.  This news has not been confirmed.  Donald Trump has asked that the community center be built at least 5 blocks away from the community center and seems to have made an offer for the Park 51 property at 25% above price.
     The smart move for Imam Abdul Rauf and the Park 51 developer is to hold firm on staying at their current location.  If it becomes apparrent that proposed mosques and community centers can be blackmailed out of their preferred locations than that will be a recruiting bonanza for terrorists.  This truly would be a message that there is a war on Islam in the United States and that would place American citizens around the world in danger.