Eve Ensler on Security and Freedom

TED could not have timed the September release of this moving Eve Ensler presentation any better (a visionary role model for women of the world!). While she gave this talk back in 2005, her wisdom is necessary and relevant to our election season. Eve is having "Sarah Palin nightmares" like the rest of us, as she recently shared in a bold op. ed in the Huffington Post. She's one of my favorite storytellers.

Speaking of "straight talk" Ms. Palin, how about you answer a damn question.

Via Daily Kos:
Yep, pretty much.
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Not falling flat on your face isn't exactly "success" either.
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Palin: Joe, Gwen, questions aside, let's just talk energy -- drill, baby drill!

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A sound bite that infuriated me during Palin's debate (among the many she robotically spewed): "Terrorists hate us for our freedom, for our rights and women's liberties"...I'm thinking, so do you, ms. Palin, so do you...

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Well, the bailout is officially official and the effect will definitely be a "known unknown".

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) via MoJo blog writes:

"No one will ever be able to prove that the Bailout Bill helped or hurt our economy during the coming fall and winter. Only two things are certain: the bill will provide hundreds of billions of dollars to investors who made bad decisions and Wall Street executives; and our children and grandchildren will now face a national debt that is hundreds of billions of dollars higher."

Oh, so Appropro Song of the Year

Beautiful Judy Collins sings "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (my favorite version)...or $850 billion sounds about right.


And a great version of the song from the prolific Tom Waits...


Talking Heads offered a sign before the times. Say goodbye to "Once in a Lifetime" Reaganomics. This is also the theme song to W., the new Oliver Stone flick on the Bush legacy.


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Counting down doomcracy in style? I love these amazing new time pieces from Tokyoflash ("the home of unique Japanese watches") that combine innovative LED displays with edgy, futuristic design.

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And on new tech, there's the hope phone! The Obama iPhone application was launched today -- a new political campaigning tool for 21st century. While McCain is still learning to use the internet, Obama continues to successfully mobilize and energize voters by utilizing social networking and new media tech. He's also a staunch supporter of net neutrality. The iPhone application is a free download for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Team Obama is running a brilliant campaign.


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As we so eagerly await the Biden vs. Palin debate tonight, here's Letterman yesterday on the "top 10 things overheard at the Palin debate camp":



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Videos of the week

There's an uncanny resemblance between Palin and Ms. South Carolina. Laughable, yet seriously frightening, all of Palin's interviews make me cringe and smile at the same time (especially Couric's)...

Let's revisit:


Palin vs. Ms. South Carolina:


"Did she win a contest or something?" -- Jon Stewart on the Palin pick, during last Wednesday's The Daily Show.

Straight shooting Jack Cafferty of CNN concurs, and on The Situation Room calls Palin's Couric interview the "most pathetic pieces of tape [he] ha[s] ever seen from someone aspiring to one of the highest offices in this country." I couldn't agree more.

No surprises here today, people

McCain wants to call off the first debate this Friday and suspend his campaign to put "country first" -- apparently, doing a couple things at once is all too much. Flaking out on his peeps is typical though, as "McCain has skipped more votes during this session than any member of the Senate except for Tim Johnson, who had major brain surgery." OBAMA is ON for debate, responding:

"This is the exact time when the American people need to hear from the person who in 40 days will be responsible for this mess," he said. "It is more important than ever to present ourselves to the American people."

Truth! Looking forward to Friday.

David Letterman couldn't have put McCain's excuses for calling time-out, even for his show yesterday, any better:

"You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves."..."I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

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During tonight's CBS Evening News, Katie Couric stumped Palin when asking for examples of McCain's regulations in his 26 years of Senate experience. The hokey Palin ever-so-eloquently responded she'll "try to find somethin' and bring 'em to ya" since she could not name a single instance where McCain was for a firmer government role in the economy. Oops, biffed again. Pure class:



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TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, has the name for a reason...or maybe King Paulson subconsciously meant t - r - a - p. This $700 billion bailout may very well be covering-up the fine print for American tax payers. The issue of socializing debt and privitizing profits is hugely problematic and complex, but it's a powerpunch we simply can't afford to take. It will be interesting to see how quickly and clearly this proposal unfolds.

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And clearly, Clay Aiken is gay. But really, it's no one's business but his own and the media blitz surrounding his 'outing' like a major news flash is appalling. What are we all still so fascinated about and why are people in the limelight pressured to formally acknowledge and announce their sexuality to the world?

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