A tour of Oakland CA

I shot several videos of Elbert "Big Man" Howard discussing historic locations in the history of Oakland CA focusing on the Black Panthers.

Best of YouTube Video (sic)

Charter for Compassion, Nov 12th

I love signs like this

Aurora Ave north of the cemetery

Big Man, Lisa & I at Panther reunion

43rd Black Panther Party reunion
Laney College, Oakland CA, 24oct09

Bobby Seale's Birthday Cakes

Bobby Seale's birthday celebration. Laney College, Oakland CA, 24oct09

Online database of U.S. political prisoners

I finally put together a database of U.S. political prisoners using Google Spreadsheets.

Only a first cut. It needs proofing, but it's a start.

Tattoo in Time Lapse

Jimi Hendirx Funeral, Seattle 1970

Grateful Dead & James Brown???

Proof the Grateful Dead listened to (and were inspired by James Brown):
  Dancin' in the Streets (live), Terrapin Station, Grateful Dead
  12:45 into it

I smell a mashup yet to be done...

Ken Kesey's bus Further

Further, the bus from Electric Kool-aid Acid Test. Full of Merry Prankster ghosts and memories on display at Hempfest Seattle 2009. More photos are online on JetCityOrange.

Help fight malaria with malariacontrol.net

Install the malariacontrol.net screensaver and your computer's spare cycles will help researchers learn more about malaria transmission vectors. After you install the screensaver please join the JetCityOrange team. OK?

Ghoulardi & Shaker Heights

Ahhh, Ghoulardi... Memories of my youth growing up in Cleveland.

Obama Doesn't Deserve the Nobel Prize

Hey. I used to respect the Nobel Prize. Heck, His Holiness the Dalai Lama snagged on.

But Barack Obama? Nice guy and all but he ain't done shit yet. There are no accomplishments to recount. No trophies on his mantle. And I voted for the guy. He's too conservative for me, but I voted for him.

But his on my shit list. The latest insult was snubbing the Dalai Lama this week for fear of pissing off the Chinese before his visit next month. Pissing off the Chinese? When was that a concern of ours?

Let's get this straight: our new Nobel Prize winner favors bald faced, unbriddled capitalism over human rights and genocide. I'm sure the Uighers and Burmese as well as the Tibetans appreciate this cold-hearted decision.

Close Guantanamo? No. Get out of Iraq? No. Bitch slap Wall and reform Street and Detroit? No. Gay rights? Healthcare reform? Change I can believe in? Nope.

What's he done? What can I tick off my list? How is my life better and what about my kids' future? My only satisfaction is that we're not living under the McCain/Palin regime.

Liberals, they always break your heart. We need our own party...

Google's Icon is a Barcode Today!!!

Ya gotta love Google. Today they gave me another reason why: the Google icon is a Code 128 barcode today!

Don't cha jus love it.I know I do. Bar codes have bin berry, berry good to me.

BPP Black History Month events

For information about the Black Panther Reunion and Black History Month events, go to BigManBPP.com/BlackHistoryMonth/for details.

See you there!

JetCityOrange flyby

Seattle Critical Mass on the West Seattle Bridge

Swiss Train Video

Sea-Monkey YouTube Video

Bike Photos

I love my bike. (Yes, I'm down to only 1.)

I've just put a gallery of bike photos online.

Civil Rights Photographs

I've been scanning vintage photos of the Civil Rights Movement. I own tons of stuff and if you're not in my living room, you don't get a chance to see them.

Not any more. I'm scanning select images: the Black Panthers, Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, etc. I have items like FBI wanted posters as well as photographs.

Now that I've started, I'm finding it hard to stop.

Black Panther Party photos

I've started to digitize my collection of civil rights photographs beginning with vintage photos of the Black Panther Party. They're available online at JetCityOrange.com/Black-Panther-Party/.

There's plenty more yet to come...

Pogoplug Web Server Video

A quick video tour of our Pogoplug web server:

Website Hosted on PogoPlug

AzaleaRSS.com is one of the first websites hosted on a Pogoplug. AzaleaRSS is a free RSS editor written in Microsoft Excel and creates feeds, podcasts, and webcasts.

The Pogoplug is a very small Linux appliance from CloudEngines originally designed as a way to mount USB drives online. The nerds at AzaleaRSS see Pogoplugs as cheap Linux computers and something kewl to play with. Using an 8GB USB flash drive for storage, a web server was born. Total cost: less than 100 dollars.

The AzaleaRSS server runs Nginx and PHP, and was configured by Cory King in Seattle.

Support the Iranian Protesters

Our sisters and brothers in Iran need our help. Their government is not their friend or ally. The first thing we can do is change our Twitter location and time zone to Tehran so the authorities have a harder time tracking them. Do it now!

Consider setting up a proxy server and/or a TOR server too.

All power to the people!,

Cell phone wallpaper & computer wallpaper photos

I've just uploaded a gallery of photos of metal designed to be used for wallpaper on your phone or computer, or to feed Google Photos Screensaver. Your choice.

Photos of metallic textures from Sodo, Seattle.

New free wallpaper & desktop background images.

Everyone loves fresh cell phone wallpaper images and backgrounds for your computer desktop. Now everyone else will be jealous of the wallpaper and backgrounds you have after you install the free photos from Azalea Software.

No, you won't find these anywhere else. Yes, they're cool, hip, and almost too much so.

IOS

Meditation MP3's Get Some Respect. Finally...

Nothing like getting a little link love from someone: http://www.bestfreetraining.net/?p=1165

I especially like the list of links to save folks from digging around themselves.

I'm flattered.

Mickey Mouse Toaster

Mickey toaster!

Danger Mouse's 'Dark Night of the Soul' download & burn

Danger Mouse can't release his new CD "Dark Night of the Soul" due to ongoing legal disputes with EMI. Again.

So he's selling a blank disk complete with the artwork encouraging folks to download and burn their own copy. All one needs is a link to the music online.

Enjoy!

AzaleaRSS v1.1 Press Release

AzaleaRSS: a free RSS editor in Excel press release

The release is online, the press release has just gone out. I guess it's time to get busy on the next release...

Sidekick LX 2009

It's been years since I carried a Sidekick around. Had 3 of 'em though. I've had a Dash, an iPhone, and now a G1. Doesn't stop me from being a bit jealous of the new Sidekick LX 2009.

Just a little...

AzaleaRSS v1.1 is out! Free RSS editor!

Big shout out to our man Ravi for helping us get AzaleaRSS v1.1 out the door.

This version of our new RSS editor is still free and lets you create and edit RSS 2.0 feeds including podcasts and webcasts. AND it's written in Excel. Not bad for free.

Mom and the book that got me started

This is the book my mom gave me for Christmas that got me started on the path to Buddhism. We laugh now because she swears she doesn't know what made her choose it.

It's a book/DVD set and I lost the DVD before I had a chance to read it. I re-read the book while I was visiting her in Cleveland and laughed to myself because on the surface, there's nothing special about the book. Timing.

LED Sheep Art

BubbleWrap, the movie

Not to mention JetCityOrange.com/BubbleWrap

Suppport LEAD Uganda at Dream Assignment

You can help support LEAD Uganda and noted photographer Stephen Shames' efforts to document the lives of Ugandan AIDS orphans. Stephen is a close personal friend of mine who has devoted his whole being into working with these children. Steve tells it best in his own words:

"My Dream Assignment is to tell the story of six Ugandan children - AIDS orphans, former child soldiers, refugee camp kids, child laborers - whose lives are transformed by LEAD Uganda, an indigenous program that locates forgotten children with innate talents and molds them into leaders by sending them to the top schools so they gain the 21st century skills needed to lead Africa into the future.

Six new children will be selected by LEAD Uganda for this photo documentation. They will be AIDS orphans from rural villages, former child soldiers or sex-slaves, a youth who works in a rock quarry, a child living in a refugee camp, and a youth from slum area in Kampala. Half will be girls. I will document their lives before they join the program and chronicle their journey to the best boarding schools in Uganda as they become leaders.

Please join me in supporting this effort.

Thanks!

Pirkle Jones

Noted photographer Pirkle Jones died last week. The NYTimes has a slide show of but a tiny slice of his work.

South African govt is a pussy!

Let me get this straight: South Africa won't invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to a peace conference because they don't want to piss off China. Why? Because China is a big trade partner of theirs.

Chickenshits. Talk about turning your back on basic human rights and dignity. Aren't you the ones we all protested for all those years? Didn't the world support Mandela when he was imprisoned? And now you don't have the balls to stand up to Beijing cause they're putting money in your pockets???

Pussies!

My fortune cookie gadget just hit 300 fortunes

As you may or may not know, there's a free fortune cookie on JetCityOrange. Has been for some time now.

I add new fortunes to the database as they come to me. I usually scribble them on scraps of paper or in my notebook and update the script when I remember to.

Well, as of yesterday 20mar09 the list hit 300 fortunes. A personal milestone if I may say so myself.

Carry on.

No, it's a "capitalist" crisis

Every time you hear someone talking about the "banking crisis" correct them. It's a "capitalist crisis". The banking system isn't broken, capitalism is. Always has been. The chickens have come home to roost.

The banks and bankers have enough money. They're not doing the right things with it. And now it's OUR money. Taxpayer money.

In fact, these bankers, Wall Street pond scum, and industrialists have so much taxpayer money we should take the next step and NATIONALIZE them.

Don't be afraid. Socialism is just a four letter word.

Olympia WA Artesian Spring, 4th Ave & Jefferson St 98501

GimmeLocalStuff.com launches in beta.

GimmeLocalStuff is a brand spankin' new website that links companies, groups, people, events, and places. It features free web pages with user-generated content, tied together with a Google Map and more.

Check it out!

Google Maps says "Elliot Bay" Where's that?

Don't get me wrong, I love Google including Google Maps.

But why oh do they call it "Elliot Bay"? I thought there were 2 t's. "Elliott Bay" That's what Wikipedia says too.

Funny.

Hendrix Vodka is pulled from shelves

Nope. You can't use Jimi's name without permission. Yep. Hendrix Electric Vodka has been stopped by the courts.

I for one have an unopened bottle of my own. Wonder what it'll be worth on eBay???

But Now You Know It

We all know I'm a nerd. We also know I have a thing for Top 10 Lists.

In that same vein, may I introduce you to But Now You Know It.... What a hoot!

Times are tough. How tough?

Brown bagging one day a week in order to eek out enough to play the lottery.

Finally, a captcha that makes sense

When your oldest turns 20...

Nothing makes a Dad feel old like having his firstborn son turn 20.

Two other sons, a divorce, and a score of years later and it still seems so recent. Kinda.

That PETA ad you never got to see...

'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad

China Oppresses Tibet. Again. Still.

After all they've done to Tibet, Beijing demanded a permit to reincarnate in an attempt to control the next Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, Karmapa, or whoever else they deem a threat.

Now they've declared a new holiday. March 28 is now "Serfs Emancipation Day". You know, it's a time to to celebrate their emancipation from the hell of cruel oppression, quote unquote.

You remember the People's Republic of China, don't you? They're the ones behind the famous Peaceful Liberation of Tibet in 1951. Yeah, right.

China. You're transparent. We all see what you're up to. You're not fooling anyone. You're a disgrace to the revolution. Shame on you. Shame.

Beyond Plain Soy Sauce

A soy sauce-based marinade using garlic & hot peppers. And in a YouTube video too!

The new Lego camera

A Lego camera! "How cool is that?" asks the guy who hacks digital cameras in his spare time.

Lava Lamp webcam on KOMO 4 TV News

Next thing I know the Lava Lamp webcam story in the Seattle P-I was picked up by KOMO 4 TV on the news last night (06jan09). This is wild!

Now I hear there's a morning radio show in Milwaukee that wants to talk to me.

Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America video

Here's a wild animated video about the spread of Walmart across America. It's wonderful to watch it bloom and spread. Think "virus".

I wanted to do something like with flipbooking presidential results by county. Never got around to it after election 2008. Too busy trying to save my company.

Lava Lamp on YouTube

A simply shameless piece of self promotion. Utterly without redeeming social value.

Lava Lamp Web Cam Named One of 2008's Most Interesting WebCams

SEATTLE - JetCityOrange's Lava Lamp webcam (www.JetCityOrange.com/Lava-Lamp/) was named one of 2008's most interesting webcams by EarthCam. Founded in 1996, EarthCam is the recognized leader in providing webcam content, technology, and software. A panel of VIP judges including actor Pauly Shore, NY Nicks assistant coach Phil Weber, singer songwriter Tommy James, and Beauty and the Geek winner Amanda Corey. www.earthcam.com/top25/2008/

The webcam is focused on a pair of Lava Lites and is the only such webcam on the internet. JetCityOrange hosts this unique webcam to fill this obvious void. Available through your browser, the Lava Lamp web cam is a look back into the glory days of old. Now the magic of Lava Lamps is a mouse click away 24/7/365.

"The webcam updates every 10 seconds with a fresh JPG of one or both Lava Lamps. In addition to a stream of new photos, the page also features a time-lapse video of a Lava Lamp. I call it 'Lava Lamp on Espresso'. It's like the lava light had waaaay too much coffee." says Jerry Whiting, JetCityOrange's publisher. The video is available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgWYoDaMYcI

JetCityOrange (a website like no other) was founded in 1999 and is in Seattle WA. Jerry Whiting, Dad of 3 count 'em 3 teen-age boys & self-confessed barcode nerd, hails from Cleveland and spends way too much time in his workshop a.k.a. The Mad Lab. Webcams, hacking digital cameras, and collecting fine art photography are obsessions of his. Enjoy!

Lava Lamp Webcam Named 2008 Winner

EarthCam named my Lava Lamp webcam one of the 25 Most Interesting Webcams 2008. JetCityOrange's lava lite webcam is the only one of its kind on the internet. Now EarthCam recognizes it too.

After realizing there was no Lava Lite webcam on the internet, I set one up. Just cause. Not that many people visit it but it's comforting to know that whenever you need one, it's there.

Hey, some people keep fish. I tend to a pair of retro lamps. In front of a web cam.

Thanks EarthCam. I'm flattered.

My webcam in the snow

my webcam in the snow, originally uploaded by JetCityOrange.

As you may or may not know I have a web cam pointed at the Space Needle. Seattle had a major snowstorm over Christmas. While the camera fogged up, the laptop in my DIY homebrew enclosure did just fine.

Here's a photo of my web cam in the snow.

Digital camera tree ornament

Well, it's Christmas. So I feel somewhat obligated to do a holiday-themed post. (Not that I'm posting all that much these days.)

I found a set of three camera tree ornaments. The digital camera ornament came with this tag. I found the exact language a hoot!

Gas hog

Dewd. Yeah, you're driving an Excursion and yeah there's a union sticker on your car. You're still an idiot!

Aging in place message for Pres. Obama

My good friend Louis Tenenbaum makes a good plea to President-elect Obama about how to implement aging in place as part of the rebuilding of America that's about to take place. Makes sense to me.

Golden Gate Bridge video

Just me hangin' my camera out the window as I go across the Golden Gate Bridge from Mill Valley into San Francisco.

Photos from my roadtrip to N. California

Obama and McCain - Dance Off! video

Gawd is this funny!

Target Digital Camera Gift Card

I bought a Target digital camera gift card today.



I broght it home, played with it and then did a video on YouTube.


Target Digital Camera Gift Card first impressions

Modding & Hacking Digital Cameras

Make your digital camera an IR camera, build your own tripods, tweak your photos, and more. Read all about digital camera hacks and mods. Enjoy!

Yes We Can Cola & Michael Moore on Obama

Take a minute to read Michael Moore's piece Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore.

change.gov

Stop what you're doing and go to change.gov. No one is going to do it for us. President Obama is the catalyst to help us do it for ourselves. Yes we will!

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Read Alice Walker's open letter to President Obama.

I loved where it was going and then at the end she draws parallels to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It doesn't get much better.

Seattle Space Needle Webcam

I'm oh so glad I got my Space Needle webcam back up and running. Sits on the balcony off the living room. In fact, I described the setup in a YouTube video.

With this latest webcam behind me, look for a 2nd followed by a weather station and lighthouse. Yes, my very own lighthouse! I have permission in writing from the Coast Guard.

Dear Red States:

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85% of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,
Blue States

Cajun Obama Video

This comes by way of Kimberly:

DIY Homebrew Webcam How-to

Ever want to put a live webcam of the Space Needle on the internet using stuff you have lying around the house? I did and then I did.

"Barcodes for Obama" video

Barcodes for Obama

skyBox

Announcing skyBox, located at +47° 35' 24.44" -122° 23' 8.51"

Barcodes for Obama

Barcodes for Obama, now appearing at barcodes.azalea.com.

Get yours today!

Altoids Tin Prayer Wheel

Imagine my surprise when my YouTube video was featured on a wikiHow page about Altoids tins.

The one in the video I made for Miranda, of Seattle Dharma Punx fame.

Rock, paper, scissors meets beer

Play rock, paper, scissors with your beer. Or while drinking beer. Well, just after opening a beer. If it's Sessions Lager. Oh just watch the damn video...

Why won't ABC air this alternative energy ad?

ABC is refusing to air Alliance for Climate Protection's Repower America ad. Why? Because it dares to challenge Big Energy?

Androd FX on the iPhone

Android FX for the iPhone absolutely rocks! I can play with it for hours. I even used it for the soundtrack for "Barcode Dogtags".

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

With Glowing Hearts

For all of you who still believe that the International Olympic Committee promotes understanding, love, and unity through sports, think again. These assholes claim to have copyrighted the phrase "with glowing hearts" in advance of the Vancouver winter olympics. Hey bozos, this is a phrase from the Canadian national anthem.

Don't believe me? Read the lyrics to Oh Canada in Wikipedia for yourself. "With glowing hearts we see thee rise"

I'm a short 2+ hour drive south of Vancouver and I'm in the phone book. Come git me!

EarthCam Names Lava Lamp Webcam Top 10

EarthCam has named JetCityOrange's Lava Lite webcam one of the Top 10 Webcams.

Not bad for a humble Lava Lamp webcam in Seattle, ehhhh?

Lava Lamp Webcam

A quick Google search turned up not one Lava Lite webcam. So I set out to fix that by launching my own Lava Lamp webcam.

Modest, fun, and to the best of my knowledge, one of a kind. It's even spawned its own YouTube video:

Mosquito Ringtone cease & desist threat email

well. who the f*ck are you? prove that you own the IP including the
trademarks, copyrights, and/or patents.


Jerry Whiting
JetCityOrange.com

- Show quoted text -

On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 5:55 PM, Mike Gibson
wrote:
> Copyright 2008 Jerry Whiting. All rights reserved. pad.xml
>
> JetCityOrange • PO Box 16745 • Seattle WA • 98116-0745 • jetcityorange at
> gmail dotcom
>
>
>
> Mr. Whiting,
>
> With Prejudice:
>
> It has come to our attention that you are illegally advertising and
> distributing the "Mosquito Ringtone" through the website
> www.jetcityorange.com. We have also taken notice that you may have
> additional websites and links to other websites also illegally using the
> "Mosquito Ringtone" and "Mosquito" Trademark.
>
> We are writing to inform you that you that this is illegal and in violation
> of Trademark, Copyright and Patent Laws as the name "Mosquito" and use of
> the "Mosquito Ringtone" have been Trademarked, Copyrighted and Patented.
> www.jetcityorange.com, or any other Jet City Orange sites, does not have;
> neither the right to use this Trademark, Ringtone or Patent, nor permission
> to distribute "The Mosquito Ringtone". www.jetcityorange.com and all
> affiliated websites controlled by Jet City of Seattle must cease and desist
> any and all activities in relation to the promotion and distribution of the
> "Mosquito Ringtone" through www.jetcityorange.com or any other means or
> websites by September 22, 2008 at the latest. In other words you do not
> have the rights to advertising or distribution of a free "Mosquito Ringtone"
> on your site as you are in violation of Trademark, Copyright and Patent
> Laws; therefore you are subject to a lawsuit and personably liable for
> royalties of past and future "Mosquito Ringtone" downloads, reimbursement of
> lost revenues, damages and any other costs associated to this lawsuit
> including but not limited to all legal fees.
>
> Failure to remove any "Mosquito" reference from your website, including any
> domain names and ringtone, by September 22, 2008 will result in legal action
> and notification sent to existing and future advertisers, such as
> blackberry.com. We will be informing all advertisers that
> www.jetcityorange.com and related Jet City Orange websites and any other
> unauthorized websites providing "Mosquito Ringtone" downloads and use the
> "Mosquito" Trademark is in violation of Trademark, Copyright and Patent Laws
> and that advertisers will be liable for lost revenues as they are supporting
> these illegal sites with advertising revenue. In addition, we intend to
> inform your server administrators of your illegal activities.
>
>
> This is the only warning you will receive as this is non-negotiable.
>
>
> Regards
>
>
> Mike Gibson
>
> President
>
> Moving Sound Technologies Inc.
>
>
>
> This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and protected
> from disclosure. This e-mail is intended solely for the use of the
> individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Any review, dissemination
> or use of this transmission or its contents by persons or unauthorized
> employees of the intended organizations is strictly prohibited.
>
>
> Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this
> e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.

Look what's on CNN Ma!

Check out the action at the :42 mark.

Seattle Space Needle Webcam

Sometimes I can't shut off my head. Get an idea and won't let it go. Projects. My life seems to be filled with zany, wacky projects.

My latest is a webcam of the Space Needle, live from my balcony. It's a old Logitech webcam I've had for years, an ancient Thinkpad, and a homebrew DIY tripod contraption and plastic utility case. I'll photograph the setup at some point.

But for now, enjoy the view. Live from skyBox, West Seattle!

Bill O'Reilly's Producer

Yeah, yeah. You've probably seen the Bill O'Reilly blooper on YouTube by now. Very funny, very funny.

Now there's a video mashup that makes this classic even better (if that's at all possible). What a hoot!



Thanks to JB for bringing this to my/our attention!

Coffee Cup Tripod

Because I could.

Obama Rickrolls McCain

Gotta love them video mashups, especially when Barack rick rolls McCain.



Rick rolling. You remember rick rolling don't you?

Palin is racist.

This story about Sarah Palin being racist doesn't surprise me in the least. No wonder she's the Republican's VP candidate.

A note to all by Anne Kilkenny

A note to all by Anne Kilkenny

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .[Too late now. I'm not the first. jwhiting, JetCityOrange.com]

Thanks,
Anne


ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a 'fiscal conservative'. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the 'old boy's club' when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he 'intimidated'
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the 'old boys' club' when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the 'bridge to
nowhere' after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as 'anti-pork'.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her 'Sarah Barracuda' because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as 'AGIA' that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned 'as a private citizen' against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.


CLAIM VS FACT
'Hockey mom': true for a few years
'PTA mom': true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
'NRA supporter': absolutely true
social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
'Pro-life': mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
'Experienced': Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
political maverick: not at all
gutsy: absolutely!
open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
'a Greenie': no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla's history.
pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.

Anne Kilkenny
August 31, 2008

Sarah Palin is a bitch!

I just watched Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention. What a petty, snarky bitch!

Negative mudslinging, name calling, jeering, and uneducated. While Obama is uplifting and enlightening, Palin talks down to her audience. No, wait. She talks across to them. She's one of them.

Yes, I'm an effete snob for peace. Yes, I'm an eco greenie vegetarian. Yes, I'm an unabashed radical in this day and age.

She ain't my candidate. She ain't talking to me. She's talking about me.

I'm honored.

I lost my respect for Rudy Giuliani

Rudy is in the midst of giving an insulting, low-rent, nasty speech at the Republication convention. A Republican throwing out half-truths, slurs, and mean spirited snipes? What a surprise? NOT!

"Drill baby drill." Give me a break. The reaction of the crowd confirms that the GOP fights dirty, hits below the belt, and hides their evil intentions behind lies and deceit. At least they're consistent.

Google Chrome browser

Just when you thought the browser wars were over, Google mixes it up by announcing Chrome, their own browser.

There's even a comic about Google Chrome.

McCain, Palin, and "family values" (sic)

So let me get this straight. McCain fancies himself as the right wing's standard bearer of "family values". He chooses a conservative who believes we should teach creationism. Probably while home schooling.

Let's talk about family values. Bristol Palin needs to learn some new family values. Unless "go forth and multiply" includes getting knocked up at 17.

The best part is that McCAIN KNEW ALL ALONG!!! H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S!

Again, it looks like McCain has shot himself in the foot.

"President Obama, call for President Obama."

Did McCain Just Shoot Himself in the Foot?

Sarah Palin? Sarah Palin?? Now we have proof that John McCain is a nutcase out on the fringe. Does he really think she's sellable?

Barack was right: he doesn't get it. McCain did us a favor by picking a candidate who is so non-mainstream. The progressive candidate is looking better and better.

I'm not sure a convention can bolster things. Not after Denver.