I VOTED TODAY!!!

I am TOO EXCITED! No, it wasn't my first time voting early, but it was the first time that voting meant so much more. As I approached the early voting location, the thought hit me (Divinely I believe) to document the moments so that they would be savored forever. I sent a series of emails to my friends each step along the way. I probably wasn't supposed to be taking pictures, but since I didn't get caught...here it is!

2:30 PM:
So, here I am in line at the State Archives bldg. It's 2:30 and there are at least 100 people in line ahead of me and 50 more behind me. Not sure what happens after we make it into the auditorium or how many more people are in there!

2:52 PM:
After an 8 min coaching session on the 7 amendments from one of my fav advisors, I've made it into the auditorium. [I'm very ashamed to admit that I'd been too busy MANAGING A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN to notice that there were going to be 7 constitutional amendments also on the ballot. When I got to the voting location I was completely caught off guard and had to get some insight on them at the last minute!] There are 10 voting stations and about 3 ID verifiers/check in stations [actually there were 4]. The line is moving quickly. It's very fluid.

In about 5 mins, I will cast my history changing vote. What an awesome moment!!!

3:13 PM:

Okay, I'm in my car and I have to admit, I walked out a little emotional as the reality of what I've just done sinks in. I just voted for a brilliant, qualified, young, energetic, community serving, Spirit led, BLACK MAN to be President of the United States of America!!! I am sitting in my car in tears as if I can hear the voice of Harriett Tubman saying "don't turn back!" and MLK saying "I have a dream that someday..." and Langston Hughes writing "what happens to a dream deferred...". I hear my ancestors finally exhaling in relief. I hear my slave foreparents resting now, knowing that their labor was not in vain....and the chorus singing "...we shall overcome someday."

My heart is full of joy and I am completely overwhelmed, knowing that this moment will be shared for generations to come. In the words of Maya Angelou, "Barack Obama, we speak your name."

Now I'm drying my face and going to find something to eat.

Wow, what a day. Yes We Can...and Yes I Did!

New Obama Ad Rips McCain

I like this. Quite entertaining. I wonder if this is Barack Obama's official exit from "silly season" and grand entrance into "pimp slap" season.



What do you think about it?

John Edwards Admits It

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Another politician had an affair...blah, blah, blah. That's not the real news.

The part that I'm astonished about is that the National Enquirer broke the story back in October. That's ten months ago! So you mean to tell me that the National Enquirer has been right all these years? There really are aliens running a bar and grill in El Segundo? Elvis really lives at Neverland Ranch? The brown cow with two heads that is being raised on Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tx is the sole producer of organic chocolate milk with a natural enzyme that can allow it to be used as a fuel substitute?

We've been hookwinked! Bamboozled! The National Enquirer should demand a national apology for all the years of ridicule and glances of disgust it has endured at the checkout counters in grocery stores across America.

John Edwards was busted with his mistress Rielle Hunter a long time ago and because it was the Enquirer, no one realized the story was credible. Now Ms. Hunter is either Edwards' or a campaign aide's (Andrew Young, who is also married w/children) baby mama.

He [Edwards] said he has not taken a paternity test but that the timing of the affair rules out the possibility that he could be the father of Hunter's 5-month-old child (CNN.com article). Not because he used a condom or she was on birth control, but because of the timing. Wow. And you wonder why STDs are at an epidemic among teens. How can you expect a 15 year old to be responsible if presidential candidates are too dumb to use protection?

I guess Hillary just got bumped up a notch on the possible Democratic VP list.

Obama Says McCain & Co. "Take pride in being ignorant"

You gotta love this. By now, you've heard the hoopla surrounding Barack Obama's statement that inflating tires will reduce oil consumption. And SURELY you've heard the Republican belly laugh over the sheer ridiculosity (yes, I made that word up) of Obama's "energy plan". Well, turns out, Obama didn't make that statement uninformed. According to his team of energy experts, the U.S. could save 3 to 4% in oil consumption if every American would maintain the proper tire pressure and get regular tune-ups.

Now, obviously this is not Obama's energy plan as the Republicans have tried to spin it. It was a response to a question that was asked while on the campaign trail. It's a practical, right-now solution that doesn't require a special Congressional session, legislation, nor Presidential approval. (Full article and video here).

McCain & Co. seem to find this solution very amusing. They would rather spend money making gag gifts to jab at Obama (tire gauges labeled "Obama's Energy Plan") than to get on board with something that will make a change right now. I wonder how much money they have spent on the tire gauge souvenirs? Wonder if an elderly couple could have paid their energy bill with that, or if a commuting mom could have refilled her minivan a few times with it.

In my mind, this just shows how out of touch McCain is with the American people. He is showing that he would be a President who would rather blow a few hundred or thousand dollars (or billion) to make an errant point than to be a good steward over the funds that the nation has trusted him with and do what's best for our people. Sounds eerily familiar doesn't it?

Obama's Tire Answer is Absolutely Right!

Sen. Obama was recently asked a question about reducing the US dependence on foreign oil. His response was that our country could become more energy efficient by inflating our car tires and getting regularly scheduled maintenance.

Needless to say, the Republicans are laughing this simple response under the table. They are broadcasting Obama's answer as foolish and another example of his incapability to lead the country as President. But, little did they know (how surprising), Mr. Obama is 100% correct.

According to a Time Magazine article:

The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.

[Barack Obama actually suggested that inflating tires and tuning up cars] could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce. Gleeful Republicans have made this their daily talking point; Rush Limbaugh is having a field day; and the Republican National Committee is sending tire gauges labeled "Barack Obama's Energy Plan" to Washington reporters.

Republican governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Charlie Crist of Florida have urged their constituents to do exactly what Sen. Obama has recommended. Apparently, they got their RNC tire gauges in the mail, but didn't get the joke.

Once You Go Barack...

This afternoon on the radio, I heard some rumblings about an offensive Barack Obama Assassination exhibit that was in New York across the street from the New York Times entrance. I did a little investigating and if you haven't heard or seen it here's what it's all about:

[On June 4th] A Boston-born performance artist, Yazmany Arboleda, tried to set up a provocative art exhibition in a vacant storefront on West 40th St. in Midtown Manhattan with the title, “The Assassination of Hillary Clinton/The Assassination of Barack Obama,” in neatly stenciled letters on the plate glass windows at street level. By 9:30 a.m., New York City police detectives and Secret Service agents had shut down the exhibition, and building workers had quickly covered over the inflammatory title with large sheets of brown paper and blue masking tape. The gallery is across the street from the southern entrance to The New York Times building.

Arboleda, who is 27, said in an interview: “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination — about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.” “The exhibition is supposed to be about character assassination. It’s philosophical and metaphorical.” (source)

Check it out. What do you think about "art" imitating life?

The Assassination of Barack Obama

The Assassination of Hillary Clinton

Obama's Father's Day Sermon

If you haven't watched the Father's Day speech, here's the video in it's entirety. It's about 23 minutes long. Good message.



According to CNN.com:

The issue adds to his family values credentials and lets voters see him delivering a stern message to black voters.

"We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse."

Obama urged black parents to demand the best from themselves and their children.

He compared it to his own presidential campaign and early comments from black voters who said they liked him but didn't think a black man could ever be elected president. He said they were admitting defeat before the competition had even begun.

"That was when I wasn't black enough. Now I'm too black," he said in a joking aside.

The next holiday on my calendar is Independence Day. John McCain's camp has got to be all over that one. I can't wait to see him under a tent somewhere with fireworks poppin' in the background, weighed down by flag pins, with a really confused look trying to figure out who mistaked his request for a little boost (of Geritol) for Lil' Boosie (...I-n-d-e-p-e-n-d-e-n-t do you know what that means?...).

A Terrorist Fist Jab?

Fox News needs to be held accountable for the reckless, inflammatory nature of their reporting under the guise of "fair & balanced." On Friday, an anchor at Fox News teased an upcoming segment on:

"the gesture everyone seems to interpret differently," Fox News' E.D. Hill said: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? ... We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says."

In the ensuing discussion with a "body language expert," Hill referred to the "Michelle and Barack Obama fist bump or fist pound," but at no point did she explain her earlier reference to "a terrorist fist jab." (source)

During the segment, Hill hosted Janine Driver to facilitate a discussion on the meaning or the message behind the pound. All this as if to suggest that the Obamas are communicating in some underground, sinister language that only they can decipher and if elected, the United States will be held captive by the terrorist fist jabbers led by Barack and Michelle Obama.

Why would a network waste time and money hiring a "body language expert" to come on the air and analyze a commonly practiced gesture? Because they are continually trying to plant fear into the minds of people and I believe that the network and the anchor should be held accountable for continual blatant abuse of first amendment privileges. Insinuating that a presidential candidate and his wife are terrorists is not an off-the-cuff remark nor is it a teleprompter typo. It was well thought out and purposely used to reel people's attention into the frivolous and baseless segment. This was a despicable display of the lowest form of journalism. I hope that people can finally see what Fox News is all about.

Fox News and E.D. Hill need to be charged with terrorism (the systematic use of fear especially as a means of coercion). This is completely unacceptable.

Click here to sign a petition to demand an apology. You can also send emails and call them here:

Roger Ailes Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,FOX News Channel
1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 301-3000Fax: (212) 301-4229 (Newsroom)
E-mail: roger.ailes@foxnews.com

E.D. Hill Anchor, FOX News Live
Tel: (212) 301-3000Fax: (212) 301-8274
Email: e.d.hill@foxnews.com

Who Knew that Catholic Priests Cussed in Church?

I would have turned Catholic long ago if I would have known that they cuss and get you out of church in 20 minutes! I'm just playing, but seriously, Rev. Michael Pfleger delivered a sermon at Barack Obama's church (Trinity United Church of Christ) in Chicago on Sunday and boy, did he have a lot on his mind! They must have some "make you act a fool" mist that they spray on that microphone.

Pfleger is a Catholic priest at predominately black St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's southwest side. Commenting on the campaign, Pfleger very candidly spoke on the subject of 'white entitlement', using Sen. Hillary Clinton as his example. He said Clinton's eyes welled with tears before the New Hampshire primary because she felt "entitled" to the Democratic nomination and because "there's a black man stealing my show." He then went on to parody Clinton, sobbing and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

"She wasn't the only one crying," he said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying." (source)

What will be interesting is to see how the media handles this as opposed to the handling of Rev. Wright. Why? Because Pfleger is white and Wright is black. They referred to Wright in headlines as a 'preacher', never as Dr. Wright. I wonder if they will take the same tone of belittling and disrespect with Father Pfleger and if they will set out to personally attack him like they did Wright. Just watch and listen.

Watch the video below for yourself.


Of course, you know the rest - Clinton denounced. Obama condemned. Pfleger apologized.

I predict Obama will make his exodus from Trinity in 5...4...3...2...

Keith Olbermann Commentary on Bush Legacy

Take 12 minutes out of your busy schedule and check this out. Post comments.

Former White House Insider Spills the Beans on Bush

Well, well, well. We all know that a house divided against itself cannot stand, so what happens to the White House, when the roosters start crowing? One such rooster is former White House press secretary Scott McClellan. He was the former spokesman for Bush when he was governor of Texas, was named White House press secretary in 2003, and had previously been a deputy press secretary and was the traveling spokesman for the Bush campaign during the 2000 election and resigned from the White House in 2006, so he has had extensive opportunity to observe and listen.

In his new book, scheduled to go on sale June 1, entitled "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," McClellan drops a dime on how the White House has used the media to deceive and manipulate public opinion.

McClellan draws a portrait of his former boss [Bush] as smart, charming and politically skilled, but unwilling to admit mistakes and susceptible to his own spin. Bush "convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment." (source)

McClellan covers some of the current Administration's major misses, such as Iraq and Katrina, saying the White House "spent most of the first week [after Katrina] in a state of denial...One of the worst disasters in our nation's history became one of the biggest disasters in Bush's presidency," he wrote. "Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush's second term." He also wrote, "The Iraq war was not necessary."

Needless to say, the White House faithful are scrambling to throw doubt, calling McClellan "self-serving, disingenuous, and unprofessional" and "disgruntled."

Former White House adviser Karl Rove said on Fox News Tuesday that the excerpts from the book he's read sound more like they were written by a "left-wing logger" than his former colleague. (source)

[And that my friends is how you know Mr. McClellan must be telling the truth. The End.]

McCain Denounces Hagee and Rejects Endorsement

John McCain has come out an publicly denounced and rejected San Antonio based Pastor John Hagee amid pressure surrounding Hagee's sermons regarding the Holocaust and other controversial statements. Hagee has reportedly made statements saying that Hitler was sent by God to force the Jews back to Israel, and that the Catholic Church is the "great whore" referenced in the book of Revelation. Needless to say, Jews and Catholics have been pretty upset by the remarks, so Hagee's endorsement of McCain on the heels of the blowup about Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial remarks were bad timing for McCain.

In a statement to CNN on Thursday, McCain said "Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Rev. Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well."

Shortly after McCain's announcement Thursday afternoon, Hagee withdrew his endorsement, citing critics who had been "grossly misrepresenting" his positions.

Now. Let's watch how the media handles this. John McCain has repeatedly tried to draw a distinction between his relationship with Hagee compared to Obama's relationship with Wright by saying that Hagee was not his spiritual advisor or pastor and that he didn't sit in his church for 20 years. Yeah, okay John. That makes it sooo much different. You're not getting out of this that easily.

The conservative media wanted to play the game of character assassination to Rev. Wright, but they didn't take into account that the same rules would apply to conservative candidates. Do I disagree with the tactic as a whole? Yes. Rev. Wright was taken out of context and reportedly Pastor Hagee was too, but unfortunately this is not a gentleman's war. There aren't even definitive candidates yet and this things is already nasty. What in the world will we have to endure on the road to November?!

I believe now more than ever, we will see the media for who they really are. Just watch and see.

Superdelegates are Getting Off the Fence

Just as I predicted last night, the superdelegate hornets' nest is stirring. Already today, three supers have pledged support for Obama and one for Clinton.

Obama is ahead of Clinton in total delegates: 1,842 to 1,686. Only 217 pledged delegates are up for grabs in the remaining six contests: West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota. Neither Sen. Barack Obama nor Clinton is expected to win the 2,025 delegates needed to capture the nomination during the remaining contests. That means the superdelegates -- party and elected officials who are allowed to vote during the national convention -- will probably decide who becomes the nominee.


Here are some of the SD's perspectives: (source)


Former North Dakota Sen. George McGovern -- who had supported Clinton -- called on her to drop out of the race. He said he's supporting Obama. "I think mathematically the race is all but won by Barack Obama and the time has come for all of us to unite and get ready for the general election in the fall."


Rep John Lewis, D-Georgia, who originally supported Clinton but later threw his support to Obama, said "there are quite a few people who are having what I call an 'executive session' with themselves. People see the end is near."


Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California and a superdelegate, said she wants to talk to Clinton to "see what her view is on the rest of the race. What the strategy is."


Several SDs are still sitting on the fence:


Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, said he wants to "wait a little more time" before announcing his endorsement


Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colorado, has remained undecided "I think if we get this thing settled in the first 10 days of June we'll be fine," he added.


Rep. Brad Miller, who represents the 13th Congressional District in North Carolina, said he will announce who he's supporting soon. "I'm going to let the dust settle for a few days," he said.


This will get more interesting over the next few days. It's time to make a decision and the SDs know it. As the old folks say "Pee or get off the pot."

Clinton Wins Indiana in Triple Overtime

Talk about coming down to the wire. I have literally been on the phone with one of my friends for the past 3 and 1/2 hours watching and waiting for the Indiana results to come in. We're watching the numbers change and calculating votes and listening to the analysts like it's the NBA playoffs! You know it's serious when you get cut off from telling a story so that you can be updated on the latest precinct numbers...LOL! I love this game!

Anyway, in a hard fought battle Clinton has come away in a nail biter as the victor in my former state of residence, Indiana (I lived in Kokomo off and on over the course of 3 years). Indiana held 72 delegates of which Obama and Clinton will almost split down the middle, so basically Senator Clinton will only net 3 or 4 delegates (Obama netted 8 delegates with a win in NC, so overall he profits about 4 additional delegates...[gotta love that fuzzy math]). Clinton won with a 2% margin of victory. You can't get much closer than that (read more on CNN.com)

The hilariously frustrating part was listening to the dialogue between Wolf Blitzer, the mayor of Hammond, IN and the mayor of Gary, IN. Everybody was tired and mad because it was taking so long to count the votes in Gary. The Gary mayor kept saying over and over that it was taking a long time because they had just gotten 11,000 absentee ballots in on Monday and regular voting was Tuesday and that they wanted to take their time and count all of the votes properly, so as not to disenfranchise the voters. (Whatever dude. Ya'll took way too long with that.) The Hammond mayor made very overt suggestions that impropriety must have been taking place in Gary to cause such a delay. Now let me point out that the mayor of Gary is black and an Obama supporter and the mayor of Hammond is white and a Hillary supporter. After the results came in, the Hammond mayor hurried up and shut up about 'hanky panky' after CNN called Clinton the winner.

Anyway, Obama currently leads in pledged delegates and in states won, and he is ahead in the popular vote, if Florida and Michigan are not factored into the equation. Those states are being penalized for moving their primaries up in violation of party rules.

With neither candidate expected to win the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination by June 3, the end of the primary season, the final decision will most likely fall to the 796 superdelegates: Democratic governors, members of Congress and party officials.

I predict that super delegates will start to take sides now. Everybody's getting tired of this race. It's time to move on to something more productive.

....and North Carolina goes to (the envelope please)...

Barack Obama wins North Carolina and nets about 8 delegates.

He's baaack! After a much maligned few weeks, filled with questions regarding flag pins, pastors, and gas tax - Barack Obama is once again walking tall and carrying a big stick. At a time where polls suggested that he was losing support and popularity among voters due to the media's weapons of mass distraction, the supporters of the Obama campaign have shown up en masse to prove that they are interested in issues, not all that other foolishness.

Obama has claimed a huge victory in North Carolina. It was the last big state left with 115 delegates up for grabs. Of course the naysayers would love to make the point that he only won North Carolina because of the black vote (as if the black vote is somehow insignificant and blacks are not capable of making rational, well-thought out decisions. Did anyone question the judgement of black voters when the candidate was Bill Clinton?) ...but, i digress.

Turnout in the North Carolina Democratic primary was expected to reach 50 percent, according to Gary Bartlett, executive director for the North Carolina Board of Elections. That figure would far exceed the 15 percent to 30 percent that usually turn out for a primary, he said.

Now, here's the problem (see CNN.com for in depth coverage):

According to early exit polls, half of Clinton's supporters in Indiana would not vote for Obama in a general election match up with Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

A third of Clinton voters said they would pick McCain over Obama, while 17 percent said they would not vote at all. Forty-eight percent of Clinton supporters said they would back Obama in November.

Obama got even less support from Clinton backers in North Carolina where 45
percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for him over McCain. Thirty-eight percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for McCain while 12 percent said they would not vote. Obama voters appear to be more willing to support Clinton in November. In Indiana, 59 percent of Obama backers said they'd vote for Clinton, and 70 percent of Obama backers in North Carolina said vote for her against McCain.

Okay, I've been hanging around for the past hour and a half waiting for them to call Indiana. This is better than watching game 7 of the playoffs. I'll get back to you when the updates are in.

Flip the Script: A Roland Martin Commentary

I have a lot of respect for Roland Martin, who is a CNN and Essence.com contributor. His point of view in this commentary is that the tables should be turned on all those who have championed the cause against Barak Obama by using Jeremiah Wright as a weakness. He suggests that if it is acceptable that the pundits play that game with one candidate, then the rest are fair game too.

Interesting perspective. I totally agree with the principle; however, I think that the practice will be counterproductive to the cry for change. It would be right to hold everyone's feet to the fire and play hardball with the candidates who so smugly criticized Obama's association with Wright. It would be a calculated political move, but ultimately I think it would turn out to be just another distraction.

Just my opinion. Read the article and discuss in the comment box.

UPDATE: Controversial North Carolina Republican Ad

Check out the ad below. These people are crazy for real.

To voice your disgust with this ad email the N.C. Republican Party at mailto:email@ncgop.org.

By now you've heard the rumbling about the television ad that is set to run in North Carolina on Monday. It was created by the N.C. Republican Party and John McCain has called it despicable and not a reflection of the tone of his campaign, yet the party chairwoman Linda Daves has refused to pull the ad.

The ad is an attack against two North Carolina Democratic gubernatorial candidates, but the punchline is an association that they try to draw between the two candidates endorsement of Barak Obama, and the controversial remarks made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This ad is such a stretch and absolutely manufactures a theory that because Obama's former pastor is controversial and the state's democratic candidates endorse Obama, then somehow the judgement of the candidates needs to be questioned because of Obama's past affiliation with Wright. (...WTH?)

I got the opportunity to hear Ms. Daves give a live interview with Michael Baisden and Roland Martin this afternoon, and I tell you, she is in another world (check out Roland's blog on essence.com for his perspective). To hear her condescending tone and race baiting was infuriating. She tried to insinuate that Roland was an angry black man. She talked down to both Michael and Roland like they were third graders. Daves sounded like one of those people who is finally the head of something and now is drunk with power. She constantly reiterated that she was the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and it was her duty to ensure that the people of North Carolina questioned the judgement of the two candidates and that they issue a "denounce and reject" type statement of Jeremiah Wright (who has absolutely nothing to do with politics in North Carolina!).

To top it all, John McCain has "asked" that the ad be pulled as it is not a reflection of the kind of campaign that he wants to run. Daves has refused to do so and will run the ad starting Monday. Obama campaign spokesman, Hari Sevugan, just released this statement: “The fact that Senator McCain can’t get his own party to take down this misleading, personal attack ad raises serious questions about his promise to the American people that he will run a civil, respectful campaign.”

Rev. Jeremiah Wright Speaks

After much character assassination and condemnation by the media, Rev. Jeremiah Wright has finally emerged and is ready to talk. In an interview with PBS that will air Friday, Wright expressed frustration with how his sermons had been portrayed by the news media and critics of Obama's White House bid. (source)

“I felt it was unfair,” he told PBS' Bill Moyers according to released excerpts. “I felt it was unjust. I felt it was untrue. I felt that those who were doing that, were doing it for some very devious reasons.” Speaking to PBS, Wright did not recant his past sermons. "The persons who have heard the entire sermon understand the communication perfectly," he said.

"The message that is being communicated by the sound bites is exactly what those pushing those sound bites want to communicate," he said, adding later, “I think they wanted to communicate that I am unpatriotic, that I am un-American, that I am filled with hate speech, that I have a cult at Trinity United Church of Christ — and by the way, guess who goes to his church, hint, hint, hint? That’s what they wanted to communicate.”

Wright also said he has never discussed politics with Obama. “He goes out as a politician and says what he has to say as a politician. I continue to be a pastor who speaks to the people of God about the things of God.”

I don't know about you, but I am tired of hearing about this. Apparently, this is the only ammunition that anyone has on Obama and most of it was manufactured and sensationalized for dramatic effect. Here are several reasons why this is not important:

1. gas costs $4/gal

2. teenagers have STDs, are planning bombings and attacks, and beating each other up on video

3. people are losing their homes to foreclosure

4. jobs are shutting down or laying off

5. rice is being rationed at Sams and Costco

6. 8-year olds are being abused and working in slave sweatshops to produce shrimp

We seriously need to start boycotting the news organizations for keeping this mess alive. Enough is enough.

Hillary Clinton Takes Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania primary is now over and Hillary Clinton has been officially declared the winner by a margin of 10%. The Obama camp is not surprised by the win, it was actually expected. Their only concern was to narrow the margin of victory and they have done so significantly as Clinton started off with better than a 20% projected margin of victory at the start of campaigning.

Clinton commended Obama and his campaign, saying they are in many ways "on this journey together."

According to CNN.com, Clinton will pick up a majority of the state's 158 delegates.

But the win still leaves Obama ahead in the race to the Democrats' August convention in Denver, and he is likely to hold that lead unless "the wheels come off his wagon," said CNN analyst David Gergen, a former adviser to both Republican and Democratic candidates.

"He came up short, but it doesn't look like the wheels came off," Gergen said. "That's going to be her problem. I don't see her way to the nomination. The wheels aren't coming off the wagon unless there is some new, big revelation."

Despite her victory, the dynamics of the race are the same as they've been for more than two months. Obama remains the front-runner, and that gets more important the closer the campaign comes to the end of the primary season. "He's content to essentially run out the clock with his narrow lead, while she needs something dramatic to happen," said California-based Democratic consultant Dan Newman.

According to CNN's latest count, Obama leads in the delegate count -- 1,694 to 1,556. He also leads in the popular vote and the number of states won so far this primary season.

Obama congratulated Clinton on her win and looked ahead to the May 6 contests in North Carolina and Indiana.

Clinton now faces a dwindling number of contests, and she's at a steep financial disadvantage. To win, she needs to convince voters that Obama is not electable in November even though he's ahead in the delegate race.

She needs a big influx of cash.

She needs a stunning change of fortune.

Michelle Obama on The Colbert Report

If you missed The Colbert Report on Tuesday when Michelle Obama was on, check out the clip below. It's about 7 minutes long, but it's an easy watch. Stephen Colbert is funny as usual and Mrs. Obama certainly holds her own. She is sharp!