Someone sent me the link to this song and I just had to share it with plezWorld.
The song aired in 2004 on "The Kay Bain Show," a morning show on NBC affiliate WTVA in Tupelo, MS. It features Minister Cleo Clariet accompanied by his fiance Katherine Lane. Enjoy!
The debate that almost wasn't came off without a hitch on Friday night. Sen. John McCain had threatened to boycott the debate in favor of staying in Washington, DC until the details of the bailout plan were complete. When Sen. Barack Obama called his bluff and made plans to be in Oxford, Mississippi for the debate, McCain hightailed it down south this afternoon to meet the challenge.
High expectations greeted Barack Obama... would he do better than he had done against the innumerable debates against Sen. Hillary Clinton? would he be able to connect with a general election crowd, rather than the purely Democratic audiences from the primaries? would he be able to succinctly enunciate his views and plans for his presidency? would he be able to command a grasp of foreign affairs, the light-in-the-pants area of his albeit thin resume? would he be able to hold his own against the mix-it-up style of John McCain?
The expectations for John McCain were markedly lower since he had seemingly abandoned his campaign 72 hours ago in favor of "working" on the economy in Washington, DC. Since his strong suit was foreign affairs and the planned discussion at this debate was foreign affairs, he would be "in his element." And it is believed that he is a stronger debater than Obama, so combined with his experience and the relatively low expectations for his appearance, he seemingly had the upper hand.
The debate opened on the global economy and Jim Lehrer (the moderator) seemed perplexed as to how to rev up the energy and get these two guys engaged. There were tepid jabs, but no direct shots. The moderator practically had to beg them to ask questions of one another.
Things warmed up considerably when they went into the area of foreign policy and the War in Iraq. See excerpts of the debate coverage from CNN.com below:
During the first 30 minutes of the debate, the candidates focused on the economy, even though the debate was supposed to be centered on foreign policy.
For a while, it seemed like the debate might not even take place because McCain said he would not show up unless Congress came to an agreement on the government's proposed $700 billion bailout plan.
McCain said Friday that enough progress has been made for him to attend the debate, even though Congress has not made a deal.
Here's a snapshot of what the candidates said.
On government spending:
McCain said he would consider a spending freeze on everything but defense, veterans affairs and entitlement programs in order to cut back on government spending.
Obama disagreed, saying, "The problem is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel.
"There are some programs that are very important that are currently underfunded," Obama said.
He agreed that the government needs to cut spending in some areas, but he said other areas, such as early childhood education, need more funding.
McCain repeated his call to veto every bill with earmarks. Watch the candidates spar over earmarks »
Obama said the country "absolutely" needs earmark reform but said, "the fact is, eliminating earmarks alone is not a recipe for how we are going to get the middle class back on track."
On the bailout proposal:
Obama said that the United States was facing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
McCain said he was encouraged that Republicans and Democrats were working together to solve the crisis.
Obama refused to be pinned down on whether he would support a $700 billion plan proposed by President Bush's top economic advisers, saying the final details of the proposal were not yet known.
McCain said he hoped to be able to vote for it.
On the likelihood of another terrorist attack:
McCain that another attack on the scale of the September 11 hijackings is "much less likely" now than it was the day after the terrorist attacks.
"America is safer now than it was on 9/11," he said, "But we have a long way to go before we can declare America safe."
Obama agreed that the United States is "safer in some ways" but said the country needed to focus more on issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and restoring America's image in the world.
On relations with Russia:
Obama called for a re-evaluation of the United States' approach to Russia in light of the country's recent military action in the Caucasus.
"You cannot be a 21st-century superpower and act like a 20th-century dictatorship," he said.
McCain accused Obama of responding naively to Russia's invasion of neighboring Georgia last month by calling on both sides to exercise restraint.
McCain said he would support the inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine in NATO.
On Iran:
McCain said Iranian nuclear weapons would be an "existential threat to the state of Israel" and would encourage other countries in the Middle East to seek nuclear weapons as well.
"We cannot allow another Holocaust," he said.
Obama agreed that the United States "cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran," calling for tougher sanctions from a range of countries including Russia and China.
McCain called for a new "league of democracies" to stand firm against Iran.
On Iraq:
McCain said the next president will have to decide when and how to leave Iraq and what the United States will leave behind.
The Republican candidate said that the war had been badly managed at the beginning but that the United States was now winning, thanks to a "great general and a strategy that succeeded."
"Sen. Obama refuses to acknowledge that we are winning in Iraq," McCain said.
Obama responded, "That's not true; that's not true."
He blasted McCain as having been wrong about the war at the start, saying McCain had failed to anticipate the uprising against U.S. forces and violence between rival religious groups in the country. Watch Obama tell McCain he was 'wrong' »
"At the time when the war started, you said it was quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were," Obama said, citing the key White House policy justifying the 2003 invasion.
"You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong," he said.
Read the entire CNN.com wrapup of the debate here and here.
Read the debate wrapup in the New York Timeshere and here.
Read the Baltimore Sun article about the Obama-McCain debate here.
Read the Washington Post article about the Obama-McCain debate here.
Read about Chris Rock talking politics on Larry King Livehere.
plez sez: ninety minutes later and if you were an Obama supporter, you probably thought he won, and if you were a mccain supporter, you probably thought he won!
that's how close it was. whatever drew you to Obama as your candidate of choice was on full display this evening... cool, calm, calculated, cerebral, and pragmatic.
if you were impressed with mccain as a candidate, he would not disappoint this evening, as both men stuck to their assigned scripts and delivered. the only real difference was that Obama was far more combative and assertive than he'd been against hillary clinton. and Obama spoke with a certainty and clarity that had not been on display in previous debates during the primary season.
if you are an undecided voter... i cannot see anything tonight that would've swayed your perspective on either candidate, since nothing new was revealed, except Barack Obama has a far greater grasp of foreign affairs than most of the media gives him credit for. but if you are still undecided in late September (after more than 19 months of campaigning), then Obama's display of intelligence and approach to issues won't be a deciding factor in who you'll vote for... your decision will probably lean on something much more basic.
it was technically a draw, which probably did little to change the views of voters around the country.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
it didn't escape the attention of plezWorld that for 90 minutes, John McCain never so much as glanced in Barack Obama's direction... he kept is eyes on either his talking points or the moderator! even when prompted to engage each other by the moderator, mccain refused to look Obama's way.
when they came out and shook hands, mccain couldn't look at Obama. after the debate, their wives came on stage and each couple went to opposite sides of the stage. after waving briefly, the Obama's - the class act that they are - walked hand-in-hand to the other side of the stage and exchanged pleasantries with the mccains. it appears that the mccains could've easily walked off stage without speaking!
this may be a hard fought political battle, but these two guys are colleagues in the US Senate... there is no need to be bitter and rude!
Hurricanes are ranked 1 to 5 in intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Category 4 has winds of 131 to 155 mph and can cause extreme damage. Hurricane Gustav rumbled through Cuba as a Category 4. Gustav has now set its sights on the Gulf Coast of the United States, with hauniting Katrina-like sights on the New Orleans area.
CNN.com reports that a hurricane watch was issued Saturday afternoon for southeastern Texas to the Alabama-Florida border as Hurricane Gustav's sustained winds reached 150 mph on its expected path to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The watch means hurricane conditions are possible within about 36 hours. It was announced Saturday as thousands were in the process of fleeing parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, three years after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina ravaged the area.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is quoted as saying, ""We could see tidal surges of as much as 15 to 20 feet. We could see flooding even worse than what we saw in Hurricane Katrina."
More than a dozen parishes in Louisiana have declared states of emergency, and St. Bernard Parish began a mandatory evacuation Saturday afternoon, with authorities calling it "a matter of survival." The evacuation began at 4 p.m. in the parish, which sits just east of New Orleans and was hard hit by Hurricane Katrina.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, still recovering from Katrina, anxiety was high Saturday as residents fled, leaving behind a virtual ghost town of boarded-up homes and empty streets. "I am strongly, strongly encouraging everyone in this city to evacuate," Mayor Ray Nagin said Saturday. "Start the process now."
At the Union Passenger Terminal in downtown New Orleans, people began arriving as early as 5:30 a.m., forming a line that snaked behind the main Amtrak terminal. Armed patrols and Humvees circled the crowds of people, many who waited as long as 2 hours, enduring the heat and relentless sun, unsure of their destination.
New Orleans officials had designated 17 sites for people without transportation to board buses to take them to the terminal, where they will be moved to shelters outside New Orleans. However, scores of residents went directly to the terminal, carrying one bag, as the city had instructed. The snafu prompted confusion, as did a glitch in the computer system that was being used to register people.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Republican National Convention begins this week in St. Paul, Minnesota. Officials with the McCain campaign and the Republican National convention are considering changing the event's agenda as Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast.
Sen. John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, plans to meet with officials in charge of the party's convention planning in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sunday to review the latest news on Hurricane Gustav and what their options might be and then consult with the presumptive presidential nominee to determine what changes may need to be made.
McCain had suggested to a Fox News interviewer that the convention could be suspended if it seemed that a festive gathering was inappropriate in light of the destruction the storm may bring.
Republican Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Charlie Crist of Florida, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Rick Perry of Texas -- whose states that lie in the path of Gustav, named a Category 4 hurricane Saturday afternoon -- will skip the GOP convention because of the storm.
The storm has forced last-minute changes in the convention's announced schedule: If the convention -- originally scheduled to start Monday -- commences by Tuesday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's speech will probably move to that night from Wednesday.
Read CNN.com articles about Hurricane Gustav here and here and here.
Read New York Times article about Hurricane Gustav here.
plez sez: in light of what happened three years ago in new orleans, a force evacuation of the city is in order. especially, in those areas that were hardest hit by katrina, the governor should mobilize the national guard to clear the city out! it would be a public relations nightmare, with the republican national convention going on up the mississippi river from new orleans, to have a repeat of what occurred when the bush administration dropped the ball after katrina.
if i was governor of louisiana, i'd have the national guard going door-to-door requiring folk to pack a bag, registering them on a database, and requiring them to leave the city. for those who do not have transportation (or were handicapped or elderly), load them on anything with wheels that is leaving the city.
as bad as it seems, hurricane gustav presents a bold opportunity for the party of george w. bush to redeem itself during the week of their convention. they could cancel the party altogether and move en masse to the gulf coast and assist in the cleanup effort, or they could shorten the convention and handle only essential business (in stark contrast to last week's weeklong coronation of Barack Obama in denver).
last, and definitely, not least... if you are a resident of the gulf coast, you shouldn't be sitting at home and reading plezWorld, you should be getting the HELL outta Dodge!
BLOG UPDATE (08/30/2008 10:30 PM EST): The AJC reports that New Orleans has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city... read the article here.
Almost three years later and the foul winds of Hurricane Katrina continue to blow ashore.
CNN reports, the agency that regulates Mississippi's casinos got pillows, stoves, dinnerware and other items meant for Hurricane Katrina victims. The Mississippi Gaming Commission was among 11 state agencies that received the household items from the state's surplus agency. A breakdown of what each agency received shows the commission took a coffee maker, a case of pillows, wash kits, two dual-burner stoves, plates and utensils, two cases of hand sanitizers and 20 five-gallon containers.
A CNN investigation revealed in June that for two years after Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency stored 121 truckloads of household items that were purchased or donated for Katrina victims. FEMA eventually declared the items surplus, saying it was too expensive to keep warehousing them, and then offered them to federal agencies and states. Sixteen states, including storm-ravaged Mississippi, took the items. However, CNN discovered that those items were given to the 11 state agencies, schools, cities and fire departments rather than being distributed to residents trying to rebuild their homes.
Read the entire CNN story about the misdirected aid for Hurricane Katrina victims here.
plez sez: One Hundred Twenty-One. 121. CXXI.
no matter how you write it, 121 truckloads of household items were purchased and donated for people who were trying to rebuild their lives after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. All of these items have now been disbursed to agencies who have no interest in helping those who need these items. with a conservative estimate of $10,000 per truckload, more than $1.2 million worth of household goods have been misappropriated.
this is maddening!
who oversaw this misuse and betrayal of the public trust? who is going to want to contribute and donate items for disaster relief when the window for corruption and misuse is wide open?
i have a good friend who grew up in New Orleans. his mother lost EVERYTHING in her home due to Hurricane Katrina. she moved to texas to live with his sister. alittle over a year after the hurricane, my friend's mother passed away... the loss of her way of life was just too devastating. when i hear that there were means to assist the people of the gulf coast to rebuild their lives and those items were just given away with little regard for their intended use, it makes me very angry.
to my way of thinking, the agencies who received these items are in receipt of stolen goods. they should return their ill gotten gains to FEMA, who should in return take the necessary steps to begin to make this right. even though it is three years later, it is not too late to help a family attempt to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
The New York Times reports that Barack Obama easily won the state of Mississippi with another 20 percent win over his rival, Hillary Clinton. By garnering 90% of the Black vote (in a state that is 36% Black) and about a third of the white vote, he pulled away early and was never threatened in the primary.
The Times writes:
Mr. Obama’s lead in Mississippi was built on a wave of support among blacks, who made up half those who turned out to vote Tuesday, according to surveys conducted by the television networks and The Associated Press of voters leaving polling places. The surveys found that roughly 90 percent of black voters supported Mr. Obama, but only a third of white voters supported him, suggesting a racially polarized electorate in the state.
plez sez: congrats to the Obama Camp for pulling out another BIG WIN! unfortunately, delegate-poor mississippi won't provide much of a boost to Obama's lead. he can at least point to two straight wins (with the win in wyoming over the weekend).
i still contend that pennsylvania (in 6 weeks) is a must-win primary for Obama... he needs to win another Big State to solidify his grip on the democratic nomination. i also heard today that plans are under way to have a do-over primary in delegate-rich florida and michigan!
in the words of soul singer lenny kravitz, "it ain't over 'til it's over!"
Since plezWorld is shivering in Milwaukee, I sought out and found an interesting live blog of an Obama Event that was held in Jackson, Mississippi on yesterday. As you know, the good folk in the Magnolia State hold their primary today.
~ husband ~ father ~ son ~ brother ~ mentor ~ subdivision dweller ~ northern by birth ~ southern by choice ~ raised a black baptist, now guided by the spiritual ~ raised a kennedy democrat, now politically dead center (moderate) ~ raised in a Cadillac Coupe Deville, now hooked on an SUV ~ college educated and still a student of life ~ wild college frat boy and now a settled alumnus ~ intellectual yet fun-loving geek ~ technical and leading edge ~ corporate cog ~ consultant ~ college football saturday devotee ~ and a ramblin' gamblin' helluva engineer (GO JACKETS!) ~
This is my personal blog. The views expressed on these pages are mine; and they are in no way associated with the views of my employer, family, friends, or associates.
The debate that almost wasn't came off without a hitch on Friday night. Sen. John McCain had threatened to boycott the debate in favor of staying in Washington, DC until the details of the bailout plan were complete. When Sen. Barack Obama called his bluff and made plans to be in Oxford, Mississippi for the debate, McCain hightailed it down south this afternoon to meet the challenge.
Hurricanes are ranked 1 to 5 in intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Category 4 has winds of 131 to 155 mph and can cause extreme damage. Hurricane Gustav rumbled through Cuba as a Category 4. Gustav has now set its sights on the Gulf Coast of the United States, with hauniting Katrina-like sights on the New Orleans area.
Almost three years later and the foul winds of Hurricane Katrina continue to blow ashore. 
The New York Times reports that Barack Obama easily won the state of Mississippi with another 20 percent win over his rival, Hillary Clinton. By garnering 90% of the Black vote (in a state that is 36% Black) and about a third of the white vote, he pulled away early and was never threatened in the primary.
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