Patch_W_Adams's St Louis Blog

I was having a wonderful debate today with my Liberal Buddy, and in the middle of the Conversation I was told, "I know what your Problem is...You Don't Care about the Little Guy."

Wait...What?  I am a Little Guy...but Yet I must hate Myself...Excuse ME?

Ok..I got a bit ahead of myself...let me explain...

I have a Good Friend named Sarge, Now he was a Corporal in Army Intelligence            (he could really Type)..lol  But We call him Sarge because he Yells when he Debates....but anyway..

We were debating the Bailouts, he was for the Bush Bailouts (I know his a Liberal, but yet agrees with Bush..I remind him of this and it makes his Neck really Red.) I am Against the Bailouts..no matter who's Idea they are. 

 He was saying if the Corporations get a Bailout then He should too.... My reply was ..No one should get a Bailout. 

That is when the infamous " I Don't care about the Little Guy" came about.  Well we debated somemore shook hands and went out to lunch together....  We just agreed to Disagree.

But my explaination to him was this.  Bailouts Hurt the Little Guy and Generations of Little Guys.  If a Company is being run badly and is Bailed out then guess what...the Company is still going to continue it's irresponsible behavior and in the End the Little Guy Gets Hurt. Who wants to work for  A Company that is run by Greedy Morons who know that they can screw anyone they want and still get a Bailout.  Also Bailouts Do Not appear out of thin Air...it will be the little Guy's Children, Children's, Children that are not only paying off the Debt but will end up working for the Government since it bailed out all the Companies. 

Rewarding Irresponsible Behaviour, Breeds Irresonsibility.    Pysch 101

In Life if we want something to succeed: our Children, Our Business, Our Marriage, The Country....we have to be willing to take the Chance that it will fail. 

But that is why this Country is so Great.  The Constitution Guarantees us the Equal Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.....Not the Guarantee of Happiness.

Failure in all Life is neccessary....

Because from Failure comes Lessons to be learned, and if learned from ...will breed success.

As Edison Supposedly said when asked about all of his Failures before his Great Success with the Lightbulb:

" I have not Failed 1000 Times, I just successfully found 1000 ways how not to make a Lightbulb."

This is the total opposite to the Montra of CEOs today:

"I have not Run this Business Poorly to the Point of Failure , I have just created a situation of unsuccessfulness that has encouraged the Government to invest in this Company."

Or as My Very Spolied Nephew said to his Mother when she told him to Clean up His room:

"Why bother, if I wait long enough and let it get messy enough, you'll clean it up for me."

Oh..Wisdom from the Mouth of Spolied Rotton Babes......Priceless

Police 'encouraged' to hack more

Police already use hackers' tools for 'remote searching' 

By Flora Graham
BBC News

The Home Office has signed up to an EU strategy against cybercrime that "encourages" police across Europe to remotely access personal computers.

The plan has sparked fears that the government is looking to increase police powers to hack into people's computers without a court warrant.

UK police already do a "small number" of such operations under existing law.

However, the Home Office said the EU agreement would not affect police behaviour and was not legally binding.

The plan, drawn up by the Council of the European Union, makes broad statements on how to improve European cyber crime-fighting, including inviting countries to introduce remote searches if they are already provided for under national law.

In a statement regarding the agreement, the Council stated that "the new strategy encourages [the police and the private sector] to…resort to remote searches."

British law already allows police to remotely access computers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, which allows surveillance to "prevent or detect serious crime".

To read the Whole Article Go To:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7812353.stma>

Waterford Wedgwood collapses over debt pile

As well as its own-brand products, the company also produces goods for designers and celebrities including Versace, Terence Conran, and Gordon Ramsay

 Robin Pagnamenta

Up to 1,900 UK jobs were under threat today after Waterford Wedgwood, the 250-year-old fine china and glassware maker, collapsed into receivership.

The company, whose brands include Royal Doulton, announced this morning that the Irish-listed company had been placed into receivership and that the bulk of its 10 UK subsidiaries would go into administration later today.

The collapse leaves Sir Anthony O'Reilly, the media tycoon and the company's non-executive chairman, facing millions of pounds worth of losses.

Waterford Wedgwood has been forced to appoint a receiver, which it named as David Carson from Deloitte, the accountancy firm, after it missed a January 2 deadline to meet loan repayments.

The company, which has net debts of €449 million, had been unable to raise €150 million of new equity it had sought in August.

It will also appoint administrators to the UK business later today, including Neville Kahn, the Deloitte partner charged with finding a buyer for Woolworths, which will see its remaining 200 stores close tomorrow after nearly 100 years of trading.

Waterford Wedgwood employs 1,900 people in the UK, chiefly at its manufacturing operation at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, at retail stores and other offices as well as 800 staff in Ireland.

The possible closure of one of Ireland's most well-known brands would be a major blow for the country that was one of the first in the European Union to officially fall into recession.

To Read the Whole Article Go To:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/indu
stry_sectors/consumer_goods/article5449313.ece

New Missouri law targets illegal immigrants

By Chris Blank

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 01/01/2009

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri businesses are about to get a shove toward a federal database for screening newly hired employees for illegal immigrants. And cities will risk getting punished if they become havens for illegal immigrants.

Some new laws taking effect today are part of a broad effort by Missouri lawmakers to crack down on illegal immigrants and those who employ them.

Starting in 2009, public employers — including state and local governments — must use the E-Verify database that searches records from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to determine whether someone can work.

Private businesses won't have to use the database unless they have a government contract worth more than $5,000, receive state loans or tax breaks, or have been caught hiring an illegal immigrant.

But even those that don't have to use E-Verify will have a big incentive to start. Employers caught "knowingly" hiring an illegal immigrant risk losing business licenses, unless they had used E-Verify to screen their new hires.

Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who helped draft the law, said lawmakers showed foresight in going after illegal immigrants at cusp of the recession.

Federal statistics released in December show the state's unemployment rate hit 6.7 percent in November.

"It's going to have a very significant impact in protecting jobs for U.S. citizens and jobs for legal aliens during this time of high unemployment," said Kobach, who also was a top immigration adviser to former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. "The state Legislature's timing was perfect."

To Read the Whole Article Go To:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/m
issouristatenews/story/EB36E9DB97BBFC1B862575310006F871
?OpenDocument

A donor’s gift soon followed Clinton’s help

 $100,000 donation highlights ethics issues with links to foundations

By Charlie Savage

 updated 8:05 p.m. CT, Sat., Jan. 3, 2009

WASHINGTON - An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton’s foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman’s mall project.

To Read the Rest of the Article Go To:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28485901/

By JOAN LOWY – 2 days ago

l WASHINGTON (AP) — Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs.

A federal commission created by Congress to find a way to make up the growing revenue shortfall in the program that funds highway repairs and construction is talking about increasing federal gas and diesel taxes.

A roughly 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by the commission until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.

The 15-member National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is the second group in a year to call for increasing the current 18.4 cents a gallon federal tax on gasoline and the 24.4 cents a gallon tax on diesel. State fuel taxes vary from state to state.

In a report expected in late January, members of the infrastructure financing commission say they will urge Congress to raise the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon and the diesel tax by about 12 cents to 15 cents a gallon. At the same time, the commission will recommend tying the fuel tax rates to inflation.

The commission will also recommend that states raise their fuel taxes and make greater use of toll roads and fees for rush-hour driving.

Although the cost of gasoline has dropped dramatically in recent months, such tax increases could be politically treacherous for Democratic leaders in Congress. A gas tax hike was one of the reasons they lost control of the House and Senate in the 1994 elections. President-elect Barack Obama has expressed concern about raising fuel taxes in the current economic climate.

But commission members said the government must find more road and bridge building money somewhere.

"I'm not excited about a gas tax increase, but the reality is our current gas tax doesn't pay for upkeep of the system we have now," said Adrian Moore, vice president of the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank in Los Angeles, and a member of the highway revenue commission. "We can either let the roads go to hell or we can pay more."

The dilemma for Congress is that highway and transit programs are dependent for revenue on fuel taxes that are not sustainable. Many Americans are driving less and switching to more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and a shift to new fuels and technologies like plug-in hybrid electric cars will further erode gasoline sales.

According to a draft of the financing commission's recommendations, the nation needs to move to a new system that taxes motorists according to how much they use roads. While details have not been worked out, such a system would mean equipping every car and truck with a device that uses global positioning satellites and transponders to record how many miles the vehicle has been driven, and perhaps the type of roads and time of day.

To Read the whole Article Go To:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h
0jhIdk5jvjtf5bEpyAbXQNZJpxAD95F30500

  Science: Sea Ice Ends at the Same Levels as 1979

 Michael Asher (Blog) - January 1, 2009 11:31 AM

Daily Tech

 
Thirty years of sea ice data. The record begins at 1979, the year satellite observations began  (Source: Arctic Research Center, University of Illinois)

Rapid growth spurt leaves amount of ice at levels seen 29 years ago.

Thanks to a rapid rebound in recent months, global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago, when the year 1979 also drew to a close.

Ice levels had been tracking lower throughout much of 2008, but rapidly recovered in the last quarter. In fact, the rate of increase from September onward is the fastest rate of change on record, either upwards or downwards.

The data is being reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and is derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions.

Each year, millions of square kilometers of sea ice melt and refreeze. However, the mean ice anomaly -- defined as the seasonally-adjusted difference between the current value and the average from 1979-2000, varies much more slowly. That anomaly now stands at just under zero, a value identical to one recorded at the end of 1979, the year satellite record-keeping began.

Sea ice is floating and, unlike the massive ice sheets anchored to bedrock in Greenland and Antarctica, doesn't affect ocean levels. However, due to its transient nature, sea ice responds much faster to changes in temperature or precipitation and is therefore a useful barometer of changing conditions.

Earlier this year, predictions were rife that the North Pole could melt entirely in 2008. Instead, the Arctic ice saw a substantial recovery. Bill Chapman, a researcher with the UIUC's Arctic Center, tells DailyTech this was due in part to colder temperatures in the region. Chapman says wind patterns have also been weaker this year. Strong winds can slow ice formation as well as forcing ice into warmer waters where it will melt.

Why were predictions so wrong? Researchers had expected the newer sea ice, which is thinner, to be less resilient and melt easier. Instead, the thinner ice had less snow cover to insulate it from the bitterly cold air, and therefore grew much faster than expected, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

To read the Whole article Go To:

http://www.dailytech.com/Sea+Ice+Ends+Year+at+Same+
Level+as+1979/article13834.htm

States seeking $1 trillion to 'keep afloat'

 By ANDY BARR | 1/3/09 11:37 AM EST   

New York Gov. David Paterson along with other Democratic Governors are seeking $ 1 trillion in federal assistance in order to meet financial obligations. Photo: AP

A group of Democratic governors warned Friday that without as much as $1 trillion in federal assistance, many states will not be able to pay their bills in the next year.

“There are states that are talking as California has of not being able to meet their financial obligations in the coming months,” New York Democratic Gov. David Paterson said on a conference call with reporters. California announced in December that all state employees would be forced to take two days of unpaid leave.

Paterson was joined by fellow Democrats, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle in warning that states across the country will be forced to make drastic budget cuts in the face of unprecedented deficits.

“We are not crying wolf. This is one of the worst situations our states have faced,” Strickland said. “This is a real crisis. These are real problems. And if we don’t get some significant assistance many of those in our states will suffer greatly.”

Strickland added that the situation facing the state of Ohio is so dire that in order to balance his state’s budget, he would have to fund every state program at 75 percent of its current level. “If I were simply to flat fund the operations of this government, I’d end up with $7.3 billion in deficit,” he said. “We’re just trying to keep afloat.”

In order to make up for the shortfalls, Corzine said the incoming Obama administration and Congress will need to free up $1 trillion in federal spending for state assistance. “We’re all going to be Herbert Hoovers if we’re not careful here,” he said.

To Read the Whole Article Go To:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17000.htm
l

There was an article that predicted that in 2009 the American People will embrace an even more Socialistic State in order to relieve their economic Pain.  They said that it would be the largest transfer of Power to Washington since the New Deal in the 30's.

So My question is this, how many Freedoms are you willing to give up in order for your economic pain to be supposedly removed?   How much is too much?  Are you willing to pay all you make over to the Government, maybe even be told what to do, in order to have your Economic suffering relieved?

How important is your Freedom and Liberty?  Is it worth Suffering over?  Or is your Comfort More important?

Saturday, January 03, 2009

 AP

A display device is shown on the dashboard that indicates how many and what kind of miles a driver has driven.

PORTLAND, Ore. —  Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles. The idea first emerged nearly 10 years ago as Oregon lawmakers worried that fuel-efficient cars such as gas-electric hybrids could pose a threat to road upkeep, which is paid for largely with gasoline taxes.

"I'm glad we're taking a look at it before the potholes get so big that we can't even get out of them," said Leroy Younglove, a Portland driver who participated in a recent pilot program.

The proposal is not without critics, including drivers who are concerned about privacy and others who fear the tax could eliminate the financial incentive for buying efficient vehicles.

But Oregon is ahead of the nation in exploring the concept, even though it will probably be years before any mileage tax is adopted.

Congress is talking about it, too. A congressional commission has envisioned a system similar to the prototype Oregon tested in 2006-2007.

The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is considering calling for higher gas taxes to keep highways, bridges and transit programs in good shape.

But over the long term, commission members say, the nation should consider taxing mileage rather than gasoline as drivers use more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

As cars burn less fuel, "the gas tax isn't going to fill the bill," said Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

To read the Whole Article Go To:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,475507,00.html

Rodney Wood in Hannibal Mo, while riding on his Motorcycle saw a Woman being attacked by two men. He Stopped to help a Stranger, Outnumbered..He lost his life, but saved the Stranger....

Courage....Over Saftey..

Martin Luther King, seeing injustice, Speaks out for equal Rights in a Time where lynchings were still common and People threatened him and his family just for speaking the truth.  A man who peacfully protested things he knew were wrong, lost his life to an assassin on a Balcony in Memphis TN.

Courage...Over Saftey...

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor, being the only one near the Door on a Rooftop in Iraq, was hit in the Chest by a Grenade that then bounced to the Floor.  Without thought for himself, he immediatley jumped onto the Grenade saving the Lives of the four other Navy Seals in the Sniper Blind.  Michael Monsoor Died of his wounds.

Courage...Over Saftey...

William Johnson was assigned to Engine 276 out of Engine House 6 of  the FDNY.  He along with the other men from Engine House 6 and Engine House 9 ran up the Stairs of the North Tower on September 11th 2001.   After the other Tower collapsed all Firefighters were ordered out.  Shortly after, the North Tower Collapsed.....William Johnson didn't make it out, he was last seen helping an injuried Civilian somewhere near the 30th Floor.

Courage...Over Saftey....

Giovanni Palatucci joined the Italian Police Force in 1936 where he was assigned to be in Charge of the Port of Palatucci the Adriatic seaport of Fiume (present day Rijeka, Croatia). When anti-Jewish laws were enacted in 1938, he used his authority as chief of the Foreigners' Office to forge travel papers that permitted hundreds of Jews flee persecution in Eastern Europe and settle in Fiume, sometimes even providing them with funds. However, his effort became riskier in 1943, when Mussolini's government fell and the Nazis occupied the place. In defiance against orders to arrest and deport the Jews in the area, he made sure that they were sent instead to a prison-turned refugee camp managed by his uncle, Bishop Giuseppe Maria Palatucci, in Campania southern Italy, by destroying documented records of some 5,000 Jewish refugees, thus saving them from certain death in concentration camps. When his activities were discovered in 1944, he was arrested by the Gestapo, and sent to Dachau, where he died just a few months shy of his 36th birthday

Courage...Over Saftey....

 Maybel Pu’a is a 20 year old man that works for Starkist Samoa Inc in the Village of Amanave  located in far western Tutuila Samoa.  He and another Youth ran into the water after seeing Dorothy Lautoa, her three year old daughter and two year old niece being swept out ot sea.  Dorothy and her children were returned to shore safley, but Maybel drowned in the process of saving them.   This happened on Thursday December 31st, 2008.

Courage....Over Saftey...

16 Year Old Margaret Reece stood outside watching her New England  home of 12 years burn when someone said that Koen, the youngest of  her four siblings was still inside.  Without hesitation she ran back into the burning house to find him. Shortly after the house exploded.......She never came back out.   When they located their Bodies, they were found laying next to each other. Margaret did make it to her Brother but tragically they were both overwhelmed by the smoke and fire.

Courage....Over Saftey...

Courage today is something that may seem to be in short supply.  But when we stop to take count, we realize it's there, but only chosen as a path  by  a  Few. 

We see it whenever someone signs up for the Military or decides to join the Police or Fire Department.  When someone decides that they have to act instead of standing by and being a spectator.  When someone does what they know is right,  even though they are terrified and everyone else is telling them to not get involved...... to forget it ....... or not to rock the Boat.... 

I propose we make a New Years Resolution.........  

To Value Courage...      Over Saftey....

Because once we all understand that a Stranger's Life,  a Strangers Liberty and A Strangers Freedom......is just as important as our own.....

This Country...........This World.....Will be a Better Place....For us All..

Calls for 'speed-limiting' cars

 Speed-limiting devices should be fitted to cars on a voluntary basis to help save lives and cut carbon emissions, according to a new report.

The government's transport advisers claim the technology would cut road accidents with injuries by 29%.

The device automatically slows a car down to within the limit for the road on which it is being driven.

But campaign group Safe Speed warns against its use, saying it encourages drivers to enter a "zombie mode".

Ministers are planning to help councils draw up digital maps with details of the legal speed on every road.

The speed-limiting devices will then use satellite positioning to check a vehicle's location and when its speed exceeds the limit, power will be reduced and the brakes applied if necessary.

The Commission for Integrated Transport and the Motorists' Forum, which both advise the government, are calling on ministers to promote a wide introduction of the system.

To Read the Whole Article Go To:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7803997.stm<
/p>

I was just talking to a Relative and he just informed me of a little movement that has been going around in his neck of the woods that was started by a CNN video interview. 

He informs me that this past week there has been local discussion and even polls that ask if First Ladies should receive a Salary.  This was started on the 15th of Dec in the CNN Student News section.  There was a Video that was posted in this section with a Reporter discussing the possibility of a Salary for the First Lady.

Here is the Transcript of the Video:

Pay or Nay?

AZUZ: Before she was first lady, Laura Bush worked as a teacher and librarian. Former first lady Hillary Clinton was a lawyer. Betty Ford even a theatrical dancer! When they moved into the White House thought, they all left the professional world to take on a new role. Some folks question whether that position should be paid. Alina Cho examines the issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALINA CHO, CNN REPORTER: She'll make history as the nation's first black first lady. But even before her husband's historic win, Michelle Obama was a powerhouse in her own right: an Ivy League-educated lawyer with a six-figure salary. In a month, she'll be moving into a new home and a new full time job, working for free.

ROBERT THOMPSON, PROFESSOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY NEWHOUSE SCHOOL: I think most Americans, when they hear the phrase "first lady," still think china patterns, tours through the White House.

CHO: Jacqueline Kennedy won an Emmy for her TV tour of the White House. William Howard Taft's wife, Helen, attended Cabinet meetings, but she said only to keep her husband awake. Nancy Reagan had her "Just Say No" campaign. Then, came Hillary.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NEW YORK: I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession.

CHO: Hillary Clinton redefined the role of first lady, taking on health care, traveling the world. Yet she was never paid a cent.

LISA CAPUTO, FMR. PRESS SECRETARY TO HILLARY CLINTON: We used to joke that we were a moving public works project. Wherever we would go, there would be new roads paved, literally. She defined that role for herself, and I think in many ways helped pave the ground for future first ladies.

CHO: Like Michelle Obama.

THOMPSON: More and more, presidents are going to, I think, have spouses who actually come to the job with a life, with a career. And the kind of things that they do might, in fact, be useful things to employ.

CHO: But a salaried first lady? some say the pay is in the perks: big fancy house, first-class travel, elegant dinners. So, what does the current office holder think?

FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: No, I don't think it should be a paid post. The spouse of the president is not an office holder; we weren't elected.

Now I would say out of everyone that was quoted on the interview, First Lady Laura Bush has the best understanding of the Constitution.  Now we don't know everything that was said by those that were interviewed, but the quote from First Lady Laura Bush was right on.   No Elected Officals Spouse is entitled to a Salary.  None.

But this little interview has spurned a Movement, at least in my Relative's neck of the Woods in Illinois, that Michelle Obama should get a Salary.  Their reasoning is that she had a $300,000 a year job before her husband got elected, so she should get compensated for the fact that she is losing it.

Now there is nothing from the Obama Campaign or the Transition Team or even Michelle Obama herself on this.  They are NOT involved that I know of.

But the fact that this Movement has not only gained support, but is growing is a very disturbing Trend. 

We can only hope that if Michelle Obama gets wind of this that she does the right thing and says no.

But only Time will tell....

All through the Presidential Race I signed up for e-mails from both Mccain and Obama's Political Campaigns.  I wanted to know what each group was saying to their supporters.

Well naturally I still receive Obama e-mails from David Plouffe the Campaign Manager for Barak Obama. 

The Progression and Direction of the e-mails have been interesting and sometimes entertaining.  For instance the Holiday Greeting was not from Mr Obama but from his Wife Michelle.  It was written asking for people to help either their local food kitchen or donate to the local USO.  It was an appropriate Holiday Greeting, but why it was not sent from the Obama family or from Barack, who knows.  I have not usually receieved e-mails from Political Parties at the Holidays so I have nothing to compare it too.

Also right after the Election they were begging for donations to the Democratic Party claiming that they took out very large and numerous Loans in order to help get Barack elected.  I was under the impression in the Media that they were in the Green and had plenty of Donations from the Common Man...Obviously not so much.

Recently they suggested that people hold House Parties that bring together Supporters for Change.  These get togethers were to be discussions about what the Change actually is that they keep refering too.  It is also to organize the Grass Roots supporters of the Pres-Elect Obama and to keep them interested and motivated so that they will be able to respond when called on to act.  It may also make his supporters feel like they are involved in what is to come. 

They do not hide the fact that during the coming years there will be Legislation that will need the Support of the Obama Grass Roots Army to get through Congress.  What those new Laws are they have not yet specified, but we can speculate that they run along the lines of the agenda that was on Obama's Transition Page.  The agenda got alot of people upset and were removed from the Web Site and replaced with a More General idea of what the Next Pres wants to accomplish.

One e-mail discribes the results from the House gatherings and some surveys that were done with the Obama Supporters.  Here is an excerpt from that e-mail.

"And so far, the response has been remarkable -- 550,000 people completed the online supporter survey. And this past weekend, supporters organized more than 4,000 Change is Coming house meetings in 2,000 cities across all 50 states.

Supporters like you are deciding how this movement will go forward. And your dedication is incredible.

House meetings were held in 2,000 cities. In Florida there were 302 events across the state. In Pennsylvania there were 165, and Ohio had 160.

From these meetings, survey responses, and thousands of conversations on My.BarackObama and email, your ideas about the future of this organization are taking shape.

Here are a few things you shared in the survey:

• House meetings were the primary way supporters got involved in the campaign
• People are excited to volunteer around a number of top issues, including education, the environment, health care, poverty, and the economy
• 86 percent of respondents feel it's important to help Barack's administration pass legislation through grassroots support
• 68 percent feel it's important to help elect state and local candidates who share the same vision for our country
• And a staggering 10 percent of respondents indicated that they would be interested in running for elected office

This feedback is essential to our next steps, because this movement is fueled by your ideas and your passion.

Watch the house meetings video and get involved by taking the survey or hosting a meeting of your own:

http://my.barackobama.com/meetingvideo

Between now and Barack's inauguration, we'll continue to collect your ideas and feedback.

After the inauguration, we should be able to announce a clear plan for the future of this movement -- a plan determined by you.

Thanks for being a part of this journey to bring about change in the years to come,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America"

Well as you can see they have a pretty organized Grass Roots movement going.  If they have as many people as they say they do, they can easily influence Congress on the Direction of this Country.

What Direction that is they are either still not sure, or as  I believe, afraid to let us know yet.  They tried on his Transition Page and got Burned.  So they have decided to keep things vauge, especially if they feel people may think it's too radical.

Obama is appointing people to his cabinet that in the end will do the Dirty work for him, and if we are not paying attention there is a Good chance that they will get alot of what they want.  They may anyway with the majority they appear they will have in Congress.

Well I will continue to monitor the e-mails and if I see anything more interesting, or alerts that ask for Obama Supporters Action, I will let you all know.  Or feel free to find his websites and Join yourself. 

The fact that they still will not openly define Change is worrysome, especially to their own supporters.  But they are spining it to appear they are taking their supporters opinion into consideration.  But I feel as their agenda on the Transition Page showed, they already know what they want to do....they just want their supporters to feel they had something to do with it.

Politicians to the Last......

Well it looks like the Communists are taking Russia back. Suprise, Suprise... I don't think they ever left. 

There is a Poll that is being conducted by a T.V. station in Russia on who is the Greatest Russian in History.   It looks like Stalin, one of the most Blood Thirsty and tyranical men in Modern History is in the Running.  Heck according to the article in the BBC he is being pushed to win from the Highest levels of the Russian Government. 

Here is the Article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7798497.stmp>

The Article goes on to say that the Russian Government has also issued New School Manuels  to History teachers that say that Stalin was not a Blood thirsty Nut Job that massacered Hundreds of Thousands of People, instead it says he was entirely Rational. 

Also this was followed by a Raid on the Offices of one of the biggest and best known Human Rights Organizations in Russia, Memorial.  The Riot Police took 12 hard drives that contained all of the atrocities of Stalin that took 20 years to accumilate.  They claim that the organization was linked to an extremist group.  Memorial specialized in collecting atrocities that were comitted under the Soviet regime. 

They say that there is a new form of nationalism called "Putinism".  The Russian Government is trying to justify the past horrors of the former U.S.S.R. so that the same tactics can again be employed while calling it Patriotic and justifiying the Hard Line treatment of the new Russian Government.

It looks like the KGB is alive an well. 

I would say in the next 4 years we are going to see the reemergence of the U.S.S.R. but with a new name.   They will cloak it in neccesity and Nationalism all the while suppressing those that disagree......

Gee......Guess we are going to need that little Missle Defense System......

New Cold War..here we come!