Congratulations, Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States!!! Not just a minor victory either, but an electoral landslide including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, Colorado, Virginia, and Iowa, all traditionally red states. I have no other words to add right now.

Coming into last night's debate, Senators Obama and McCain both had very specific goals they set out to accomplish. McCain faces a growing deficit in the polls, and needed to do his best to halt Obama's momentum and shake things up a bit. Obama, for his part, wanted to maintain his lead and keep things as they are. Did either accomplish what they set out to do? I'll be analyzing this one point by point to determine how they did. Are you ready? Let's go! QUESTION 1: TAXES: The moderator, Mr. Bob Shieffer, opens with a question about the respective tax proposals of McCain and Obama. What makes one better than the other? McCain leads off with continuing to tout his proposal to buy off bad mortgages. Obama talks about bailing out the middle class. Soon, McCain brings up the now infamous 'Joe the Plumber' for the first time. Every debate, it seems, McCain has a key phrase he repeats over and over. Last time it was 'my friends,' in the first debate it was 'maverick' and now...ugh. Again, ugh. McCain hits Obama again on taxing small businesses. Obama doesn't come off strong enough in this segment. McCain lands most of the hits, and he does it well. Overall, this question goes to McCain. GRADE: MCCAIN: A- Loses half a point for starting with that Joe the plumber nonsense. He starts off strong and sounds much better than he has in the past two debates. If he keeps this up, Obama will be in trouble. OBAMA: C Too tepid. Not defending himself well enough here. QUESTION 2: THE DEFICIT: Shieffer points out that both Obama and McCain would increase the deficit with their spending proposals. He asks what they would cut to bring spending under control. Obama mentions going through the budget line by line and cutting out programs that don't work. He specifically targets subsidies to insurance companies which could save billions. McCain once again brings up his proposed spending freeze. Obama disagrees with the concept of a spending freeze. Suggests a scalpel would be more appropriate than a hatchet. Obama also brings up the disastrous spending under Bush and links it to McCain. McCain responds with his best line of the night. 'I'm not President Bush.' Obama counters that when it comes to his voting record, McCain and Bush look pretty similar. GRADE: MCCAIN: B+ McCain gets in a good line about President Bush. He doesn't really answer the question, though. OBAMA: C+ Gets in a few good lines. Getting better, but still not great. QUESTION 3: NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING: Shieffer asks Obama and McCain to clear the air about the negative campaign ads run by both. Obama brings up the 'kill him' remarks shouted at Palin's rallies and wonders why neither Palin or McCain have repudiated them. McCain blusters and claims he has stood up for Obama (don't make me laugh) and then whines about John Lewis' remarks about George Wallace and demands that Obama renounce them. For the uninformed, Lewis expressed concern that McCain's use of scaremongering to whip crowds into a frenzy put them at risk of becoming like George Wallace. Obama would not rebuke Lewis for this. Thank god. Obama accuses McCain of running 100% negative ads. This is inaccurate. Eventually, we finally get to Ayers and Acorn. The Ayers accusation is stupid. Obama puts it to bed but fails to address the claim that he held a fundraiser for one of his campaigns in the home of Ayers. Obama does a much better job about shutting down the Acorn business. Obama goes on to say that they can disagree without being disagreeable. Considering the often ugly tone of McCain's debate performance and attitude towards Obama, this is a pointed remark. GRADE: MCCAIN: C Ayers is a lame, lame, lame line of attack. Not surprising he tried to use it here. He kind of had to, in the end. McCain should have renounced the people at Palin's rallies who shout 'kill him.' Instead, he got defensive. At this point, we start to see McCain's temper slipping. OBAMA: B Much stronger and more forceful this time, but he should have done a better job addressing Ayers. God what a stupid issue. QUESTION 4: THE RUNNING MATES: Shieffer asks the rivals to point out how their respective running maters would be more prepared to lead in the event of something happening to the president. Nothing overly interesting here. McCain mentions ubercreep Todd Palin for some reason. Obama is given an opportunity to say that Palin is not qualified to be president, but passes on it. GRADE: MCCAIN: B Sarah Palin's record as a 'reformer' is highly questionable. OBAMA: B I kind of wish he had said that Palin isn't qualified to be president...but I guess he had his reasons for pulling his punches. QUESTION 5: ENERGY AND FREE TRADE: Shieffers asks the candidates about reducing our dependence on foreign oil. McCain focuses on nuclear power while Obama lays out a broader plan. He scores big by talking about developing fuel efficient cars right here in the U.S. He comments that green technology has the potential to create thousands of jobs and could help expand the economy. McCain retorts by noting Obama's opposition to free trade, especially to Colombia, and mocks Obama's 'eloquence.' He suggests that Obama should visit Colombia so he could 'understand it a lot better.' Obama counters that he does understand what is going on in Colombia, that labor leaders have been targeted for assassination. He argues that free trade shouldn't come at the cost of human rights. McCain looks positively flabbergasted at this point. Was it because he didn't think Obama knew so much, or was he trying to be snarky? Either way, McCain ends up looking foolish. GRADE: MCCAIN: C- What the hell was that facial expression, McCain??? OBAMA: A When McCain condescendingly tells Obama that he doesn't know anything about Colombia, Obama shows he knows a LOT about Colombia, and catches McCain completely off guard. Obama is in his stride now. QUESTION 6: HEALTH CARE: It's about to get worse for McCain. Shieffer asks which is more important for health care in the current economy...reduce costs or expand coverage? Obama thinks we need to do both. He highlights the strengths of his health care proposal. McCain mentions Joe the plumber again. I hate Joe the plumber. McCain alleges that if Joe owns a small business, he will have to pay a fine under Obama's plan if he doesn't provide health care to his employees. McCain challenges Obama to name the price of the fine. Obama says 'zero' and goes on to talk about how his plan has exemptions for small businesses and that Joe would not be fined. McCain's response is priceless. His eyes bug out, he exclaims 'Zero???' and then does his best impersonation of a fish. If McCain was trying to look cynical or sarcastic, he failed miserably. He looked stunned and caught off-guard. Again. Weak, McCain. Weak. Oh, and at one point he calls Obama 'Senator Government' which is kind of cute. It sounds like something a kindergartner would say. GRADE: MCCAIN: F "Zero???" and Joe the plumber. Blech. OBAMA: B+ "Zero." Way to catch McCain off-guard. Again. QUESTION 7: ROE V. WADE AND THE SUPREME COURT: Shieffer notes that McCain favors overturning Roe v. Wade. Obama does not. He asks if they would be willing to appoint a justice to the Supreme Court who held a view that opposed theirs. McCain does his best to piss off his base by saying that he would not have a litmus test to appoint a justice. Then he tries to cop out of this by claiming that he doesn't think somebody who supports Roe v. Wade would be qualified anyway. Riiiight. Obama voices his support for Roe v. Wade and for women's rights overall. He goes on to suggest there can be common ground on abortion...working to reduce them through education and adoptions, while allowing partial birth abortions only in cases where the health of the mother is at risk. McCain then does his best to piss off independent women voters and mocks 'women's health' even putting it in quotes. Considering that McCain's record on women's issues is already highly questionable, he pretty much killed his chances in that regard. That was a bad, bad move by McCain. Not to mention that it was a dick move. McCain kept referring to being pro-choice as being 'pro-abortion.' Obama made a good response...being pro-choice is not the same as being 'pro-abortion.' GRADE: MCCAIN: F I'd give an F- if it were possible. First he angers his base by saying he wouldn't impose a litmus test, then he angers female voters by mocking their concerns over health. Does he even WANT to win this election? Is this what constitutes him trying? OBAMA: A He sounds presidential and compassionate. Damn. QUESTION 8: EDUCATION: We arrive at the final question. Both are asked to describe how they would help reform the education system. Obama emphasizes early childhood education and laments that No Child Left Behind was underfunded. He supports charter schools. Considers strong education to be of paramount importance. McCain likes vouchers. I think vouchers are a bad idea and I have yet to see compelling evidence that they really work. Obama's response is very strong here...calls on parents to be involved, speaks of the ideals of every family...it feels like he really connects to the public here. GRADE: MCCAIN: C Throwing vouchers at the problem isn't a viable solution. OBAMA: A Obama sure can inspire, eh? OVERALL ANALYSIS: Obama started off weak, but he had a specific strategy here. He was trying to tire McCain out, stay cool, and not get ruffled by attacks. I'd say he met this goal stunningly well. McCain, meanwhile, started off fantastic but then became angry and got ugly. Some of his facial expressions were hilarious. He came across as rude, nasty, mean-spirited, and condescending. Obama looks reassuring and presidential, McCain just looks angry and hostile. Another clear victory for Obama. McCain failed to do anything significant here, and in fact probably did himself more harm than good on the abortion issue. Chris Matthews pointed out that McCain twice referenced Americans being angry. Matthews felt that McCain misread the mood of the American people. He thinks that they are scared and worried. I agree with Matthews. Americans aren't looking for anger. They are looking for calm, reassuring guidance. Obama's debate performance once again reinforced the image that he is the one who can provide all of that, and nothing McCain threw at him last night could change it. GRADE: MCCAIN: D Sorry Joe the plumber. OBAMA B+

This is a cross-post from Religify. Enjoy: I found last night's debate to be VERY interesting, but it just so happened I was also quite sick. Cough. I am still sick. Cough. Sniffle. Therefore, I will be keeping this (somewhat) brief. I will hit major points, as with the VP debate, and assign overall scores on presentation and substance. - My initial reaction is that McCain is obviously much more comfortable in a town hall setting. He seems more at ease in this venue, and just SOUNDS better. Unfortunately, his personality gets in the way, which I will get to later. Another thing that amazes me is how much better Obama has gotten over the course of the debates. He sounded very strong overall tonight. His confidence has grown. - Fortunately McCain didn't beat 'maverick' to death this time. However, every time he says 'my friends,' God kills a puppy. Between him and Palin, a lot of innocent puppies and kittens are being killed. Won't somebody please, please think of the puppies and kittens? - Also, McCain is not my friend. I wish he'd stop saying he is. It's getting kind of awkward. - I noticed that Obama and McCain mostly stuck to their talking points and didn't bring too much to the table that was new. Obama did well to bring up the AIG abuse of funds, even calling for them to return their money and fire the executives responsible. Obama once again hit McCain with 'bomb bomb Iran,' an ugly moment that will continue to call his judgment into question. - McCain was supposedly going to bring up Ayers at the debate...he did not. I'm glad he didn't. Obama also didn't bring up the Keating Five. They at least stayed out of the mud...this time. There is one more debate left to get down and dirty...which I'd rather not see happen. - McCain proposes buying up every bad mortgage. This is an intriguing idea, but it has fiscal conservatives appalled. He also proposes a spending freeze...without specifics about what he would freeze and what he would not, this sounds dangerous. He needs to assure people he won't put vital programs on hold. - Tom Brokaw is a bit of a jerk. - Obama hits McCain again on his awful health care plan. He even sites the Chamber of Commerce, which traditionally supports Republican interests, which claims that McCain's plan would be a disaster. He also points out a glaring loophole in the 'crossing state lines' logic - that dishonest insurers will just relocate to states where the laws are easiest to exploit. - I noticed that McCain once again was blinking a lot throughout the early part of the debate. He also was walking around often while Obama was speaking, whereas usually Obama would usually sit while McCain was talking. McCain looked somewhat befuddled at times, and while speaking about economic policy, he often talked in circles. On foreign policy, McCain sounds strong and decisive...on the economy, he sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about. - McCain once again is rude and disrespectful to Obama. Throughout the debate he has a condescending tone, and is frequently insulting and confrontational. Obama comes off as more presidential by not responding in kind. - The worst moment of the debate was when McCain rudely gestured at Obama, and without looking at him referred to him as 'that one.' He couldn't have possibly been more insulting. Talk about open contempt. McCain loses ground when he behaves like that. Independents don't want to see a mean, angry old man. They want to see a level-headed elder statesman who is calm and reassuring. McCain is none of these things...he is a vicious and angry person. This is unfortunate for him...he would've looked much better last night if he hadn't acted in such a rude manner. Once again, style counts for so much, and McCain's style is lousy. - McCain also refused to shake Obama's hand after the debate. Classy once again. He also was quick to leave after the debate was over. Cindy, noticeably, was not interested in mingling with the 'commoners'...while Michelle Obama was speaking to as many people as her husband. OVERALL SUBSTANCE OBAMA: B+ He could've had more specifics, and he mostly stuck to talking points. He did deliver some devastating blows to McCain. MCCAIN: B- His health care and tax proposals are both awful. Foreign policy was his strong point. STYLE OBAMA: A Cool, presidential, and reassuring. Once again, Obama shows his ability to connect with the common voter. It's no surprise why people feel that Obama is more sympathetic to their concerns than McCain. Obama constantly talks about the middle class, the common man. McCain has nothing to say about them, and even less to offer them, tax-wise. MCCAIN: D Much more confident than before, but even ruder and more condescending, if it were possible. He lost two full letter grades for 'that one'...this was a glimpse of the 'real McCain' that even Republicans have been whispering about for years. He is not a pleasant man, and the more he shows it, the more votes he loses. McCain is trying to convince voters that his would be a steady hand, but his actions and mannerisms don't back up that claim. VERDICT: Once again, Obama is the clear winner. The polls also bear this out. Many liberals want Obama to go into full-on attack mode, but I think Obama does best when he sits back and lets McCain be a jerk. With all the charm of a cold fish, McCain can't pull off Bush's 'frat boy' assholeishness and get away with it. One more debate to go....will Obama continue to keep his cool? And will McCain lose his? Will the rivals get nastier? We'll have to wait and see.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE #1 Last night, John McCain and Barack Obama met at long last in their first of many confrontations, trying their best to woo the undecided voters and push their respective platforms. Obviously, I am a biased observer, but I will do my best to provide a fairly objective analysis of the debate. Smiley This review will be broken into segments, each portion of the debate will be reviewed based on style and substance. Then I will give an overall grade for each candidate. Enjoy! PART I: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS: Substance: The economy is not McCain's strong point, but he did alright. He hit Obama hard on the earmarks issue...it would've been a much more effective line of attack if people really cared about it. However, it seems to be something of a non-starter, and didn't do much to help McCain. Obama's most effective hit was on McCain's health care plan. Probably the most devastating attack of the entire first portion of the debate, it caught McCain flat-footed, and he was unable to respond effectively. McCain's suggestion to do a spending freeze was kind of awkward, and the fact that he did not once mention the middle-class was a stark contrast to Obama, who directly addressed the middle class multiple times. McCain also had a good point about business, but it's too wonky to really resonate with people. Overall, Obama had answers that seemed to be more meaningful to the everyday American. MCCAIN GRADE: B- OBAMA GRADE: A- Style: It started off awkward for both of them, with neither willing to address the other directly. Obama soon started looking at McCain, speaking to him, and also looking directly into the camera and speaking right to the American people. McCain seemed to be talking to the audience and would consistently avoid looking at Obama. Occasional creepy smiles from McCain just came off as out of place. MCCAIN GRADE: C OBAMA GRADE: A PART II: FOREIGN POLICY: Substance: This is where McCain is supposed to be his strongest. However, he made a number of gaffes, and his attitude and demeanor really started to hurt him in this segment. Obama's threw a number of devastating blows in this round, notably hitting McCain on his belligerent stance towards Spain, his 'bomb Iran' song, and how McCain was wrong about the Iraq war from the very beginning. McCain was not effectively able to counter these points. McCain, for his part, gave solid answers that were often lost in wonkish political speak that will, again, not resonate with the average voter. He did, however, make several verbal gaffes. He was unable to pronounce the name of Iran's leader, called Russia an 'existential threat' (WTF does that even mean?) and made a bizarre reference to North Koreans being shorter than South Koreans. Obama showed that he was able to stand up to a foreign policy heavyweight and hold his own. He landed solid hits and did better than expected in this segment. MCCAIN GRADE: B+ OBAMA GRADE: A- Style: McCain started to show signs of being angry here. He continued to not look at Obama, and continued to give creepy smiles and giggles at inappropriate times. While Obama said 'John is absolutely right' several times about certain things, McCain never once complimented Obama. He preferred to condescend and say that Obama 'doesn't understand.' This line might've worked coming from Ronald Reagan, who could back it up with charm, but McCain had all the charm of a cold fish. Body language and tone of voice are MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to communication than mere words...I could say you look gorgeous, but if I'm smirking while I say it, and saying it in a rude way, you won't think I'm being sincere. McCain's body language was stiff, cold, hostile. Polls taken after the debate show the effect: many more people felt that Obama could understand their plight than McCain. Obama's courtesy, calm, and friendliness won people over. McCain's hostility and boiling temper did the opposite. I have been predicting for some time now that McCain's temperament will cost him the election. Also of note? McCain did not approach Obama to shake hands, and did not congratulate Obama after the debate (Obama can be heard saying 'good job' to McCain at the end). MCCAIN GRADE: F OBAMA GRADE: A PART 3: OVERALL: If this were just a debate on content, the McCain would have a slight advantage. However, debates factor in much more than just policy. The defining moments from previous presidential debates have included George Bush looking at his watch, Al Gore sighing in frustration, and Ronald Reagan saying 'There you go again.' Gore and Bush both lost their respective elections, Reagan won his. Keeping that in mind, McCain's personality was a huge detriment to him here. He quite simply did not look presidential. He looked like a grouchy old man about to blow his top. Some felt Obama wasn't aggressive enough, that he let McCain get in too many shots. I think this was Obama's goal in the first place. Obama is a brilliant politician...he knows that likability counts. It's the only way Bush managed to win twice. His opponents, Gore and Kerry, were both somewhat wooden and people had trouble relating to them. Obama is much stronger than each of these, and McCain possesses none of the charm of Bush and Reagan. The media narrative will not be the policy points. Rather, it will be that McCain would not look Obama in the eye, that he looked mean, angry, and was disrespectful and dismissive of his rival. That's why the victor of this debate is Obama. He was better able to communicate directly to the American people, and was far more likable and presidential. I will be interested to see how the VP debate on Thursday goes. Smiley FINAL GRADES: MCCAIN: C+ Some good, solid points, a lot of attacks, but lost in a sea of ugly smirks and inappropriate chuckles. OBAMA A- Some moments of weakness, but a very strong performance overall.

For those of you who have not yet seen Obama's brilliant ad called 'Plan for Change' it can be found here: click text It's a two minute ad where Obama details some of his plans to fix our economy and re-assures us that we can get through this. Required viewing for every voter. :) Now, with the ongoing economic crisis, it appears that John McCain is running...running for the hills. I guess the revelation that Rick Davis, his campaign manager, was working for Freddy Mac (despite denials of this by the McCain camp - all lies, apparently), is really showing that the Straight Talk express is all talk. I guess it really is 'maverick' to have a campaign stuffed with lobbyists while you rail against them. I'm sure the fat cats are laughing and slapping each other on the backs every time McCain says he's going to bring real change to Washington. McCain doesn't even have original ideas, just the ones he stole from Obama. :) Anyway, whenever McCain is in trouble, it seems that cheap political stunts are the standard reaction. This is no different. This one kinda backfired, though. Obama stood tall and confident, assured America we can get through this: Part I: click text Part II: click text One important point to take away from Obama's talk is that as president, McCain or Obama would have to be able to handle more than one thing at a time. There was, after all, a presidential election during the CIVIL WAR. WITH DEBATES. If Abraham Lincoln had the time to have debates during the Civil War, then John McCain has the time to have them now. By trying to duck out of them, he has shown weakness and incapability to lead. Obama is displaying reassurance and strength, the strength America needs to find its way again.

Here's a link to some basic info: click text That article links to a piece by Joe Klein with even MORE information which you should also read if this is a matter of concern to you. Our health care system isn't that great to begin with. It's bloated and weighted down by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, both wielding way too much power over our daily lives. For those of us with employer-provided health care, at least we have SOMETHING, however inadequate it can be in a crisis. If John McCain is elected president, we might not have even that much. John McCain will eliminate the tax credit that businesses currently get in order to provide us with health care. In its place we will receive a $5000 tax break per year that is supposed to cover the cost of our now taxable health care benefits. However, with the elimination of tax incentives to provide health care, guess what? Businesses that are strapped for cash will likely jettison health care outright. For those of us who still have it, the news doesn't get any better. True, we will receive $5000 a year to cover our taxes...but as premiums continue to skyrocket, the taxes we pay on those premiums will go up...and up...and up... So, pick your poison: would you rather lose your health care entirely, or simply pay so much more for it that it is no longer affordable? Sounds like a win-win situation to me! More on the elimination of tax incentives and its possible ramifications: click text And finally, the link to Obama's health care proposal, making health care more accessible and more affordable to America: click text Hope this information is helpful to my readers. :)

McCain and Palin have frequently said on the campaign trail that Obama will raise taxes for the average American. Despite the fact this is an outright lie, they have repeated it again and again. What's to stop the truth from getting in the way of an effective lie? Here's the TRUTH: click text Unless you are already in the top 1%, you will see some sort of tax relief. The lowest tax brackets will see the most relief. This would be a godsend to many struggling families in these trying economic times. McCain's tax cuts, however, would be heavily skewed towards the fat cats who have already been raking it in under Bush. For the past seven years, the wealthy have done pretty damn well for themselves. I think it's high time that the little people had an opportunity to get their share of the pie. Don't believe the lies of McCain-Palin. What they do not want you to know is that for the average American, Obama's plan is FAR BETTER. If you think the rich deserve a better tax cut than you and me, by all means, vote for McCain. Me? I'd rather see some of that money come to myself and my family.

You have to understand that Sarah Palin belongs to a type of Christianity where the man is the head of the household and the head of the wife. Therefore, when it comes to who calls the shots in their home, it's Todd Palin all the way. However, it extends beyond just the household. Apparently, Todd Palin is a lot more influential than the American public is aware. He attends official meetings, even ones that are supposed to be secret. He is copied on every e-mail, even confidential ones. This is not just irregular, it's downright bizarre. Now he is going to be subpoenaed in the ongoing investigation known as Troopergate. Why is he being called in? Does he have some sort of involvement in the firing of Commissioner Monegan, and if so, what is it? The answes will soon come to light, and we might not like what we hear. I think that this is of serious concern, because if elected, there is a good chance that Sarah Palin could become president of the United States. If she's being controlled by her husband, who would really be holding the reins of power? The people of Alaska did not elect Todd Palin to be their governor, yet he is in the shadows, he is always there, and we cannot be sure a single decision comes from Palin herself that is not approved by Todd. Would the same be true of a President Palin? In fact, we may end up having a man named Todd Palin running our country, using a very lifelike and convincing puppet as his mouthpiece. On November 4th, ask yourself: do you want this country in the hands of a woman who is under the sway of a dominant husband? Read more here: http://www.andrewhalcro.com/shadow_governor

Spoke with some people who know a bit about the situation up there. Turns out that hunting is big business up in Alaska. Companies are losing money because wolves are doing their jobs and thinning herds, so greedy asshats who want to exploit 'hunters' started to complain. Cue their white knight, Sarah Palin, to take out the big bad wolves. The companies get to keep their fat profits, some sadistic would-be badasses get to take potshots at defenseless animals from helicopters, and Palin gets to indulge her lust for blood. Don't try to pretend this is about conservation. If Sarah Palin gave a rat's ass about conservation, she wouldn't have sued the government to have the polar bear taken off the endangered species list. That puts her to the right of Bush on the environment, and this is a bad place to be. Sarah Palin is wrong for the environment, and wrong for America.

I was almost shaking with rage after watching this. I have to warn you that it is graphic and brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQobIUE1zTU There is no real reason to do this. Wolves thin out the old and sick, and a few of the young. This is a barbaric practice that is outlawed in most, if not all of the other 49 states. It is not true hunting, as real hunting involves skill. This is just shooting fish in a barrel for the rich, soulless bastards who can gun down a defenseless animal to show how big their dick is. Good for them. Not only does she support this disgusting action, she encourages it. Hey, it's easy to kill em when they can't get away and you can just mow them down at your leisure. It's extra fun if they really SUFFER before they die, right? This is what it means to be 'pro-life'? I guess polar bears and wolves don't count as life. For the religious, remember that God calls on us to be stewards of the Earth. We are to be its protectors. Sarah Palin, and people like her, only want to rape the Earth, plunder it, and spit on its smoking ruin. UPDATE: SARAH PALIN ALSO KILLS PUPPIES. I wish I were joking. Alaska Department of Fish and Game admits to ILLEGALLY slaughtering defenseless wolf pups: http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/press_releases_folder/2008/07_23_2008_statement_regarding_illegal_killing_of_14_wolf_pups_in_alaska.php

Hi. A little about myself. I am a teacher assistant, Sunday School teacher, wannabe writer, nerd, loser, gamer, lover of music, cinema, and literature. Fan of the sarcastic, bizarre and grotesque. I am very much a liberal, a strong supporter of Barack Obama, and a frequent poster on Democratic Underground. I have ambitions, dreams, and the like, which I am slowly working on. Motivation is tough. Really. I want to share views, political and otherwise, and my writings, as I come up with more. I hope my time here will be rewarding...and I hope you, the reader, find something worth looking at here. Or, at least, you know, you could kill a few minutes here. It beats staring at a wall.

I just want to see if it works.