Peace Out 2008

As we wrap up this last year and we usher in a new one I thought I would quickly wrap up the accomplishments and milestones of this year for our family.



Lily is vomiting far less then she used to and only pees on the bedroom rug when we forget to close the door.

I quit my job teaching after three years at Viewmont

Lacey and Lily stopped fighting

Brandon switched Law Firms after being at Ballard Spahr for just over 4 years

We staved off the idea of getting a kid for one more year

I went back to school starting the Masters of City and Metropolitan Planning program at the U.

I spent a wonderful month in Europe with Jason and Mom

Brandon and I saw our new president accept the nomination of the Democratic Party in Denver

We elected said President!

I helped orchestrate some great wins for Democrats in Salt Lake County

I finally installed the switch plates on the switches and plugs in our Kitchen (all victories big and small are important!)

I remodeled our backyard adding a flagstone "patio", of sorts, and brick planters

Brandon and I relaxed in Cancun and saw some places we always wanted to - some Mayan ruins.

Brandon turned 30! :-) All our friends and family were there to witness it.

Took two great trips to the Bay Area after having not been back for five years.

We went to Vegas with friends and saw Eddie Izzard Live

We spent lots of money to see Coldplay up close!

I spent another great week with my family (including the Roarks! (minus Kev :-( )) at Lake Powell



All-in-all a great year!

For the record...

So since my daily diary turned into a weekly, then monthly, then yearly, to never diary I thought I would do something in its stead.

In many ways this blog has become a record of my on-goings - minus the dramatically sad internal drama that unfolded in my diary of my early years.

So I thought I would add a new thing I may post now and then (for me maybe more than for you) of some sort of milestone or insignificant accomplishments that doesn't need much explanation, but is something of note for the time being. Things that may not require a full blog post, but noteworthy anyway.

It is called "For the record..."

I guess I envision one day being able to download my entire blog into a file that will keep it forever and this is a way to maintain the more intricate drama like in my first diary - of course without the dramatically sad internal crapola. I'll keep that for my other diary. If I ever write in it again.

For my first "for the record..." post:

1. I finally watched, 3 years late, the end of Six Feet Under and cried, as Manda said I would. I have downloaded the haunting song from the last sequence. It will be on my Ipod if you are curious. Thanks for lending us the DVD, Mandino

2. Got all A's for my first semester! (one A minus - from my class I hate, so I guess that is okay). Even though I'm mad about it. And likely will complain to him, but hey, would you expect anything less?

3. Christmas was good times - spent time in Cancun (see below) and got tickets to see Cher in Vegas in March! Thanks B - you da best!

4. STILL undecided on running for Demo Chair again or not....ugh...

The end...

The last two days in paradise...

Over the last couple of days Brandon and I traveled to two amazing places - Tulum and Chichen Itza. Both are Mayan ruins and both very cool indeed.

The tour itself on the other hand was kinda lame - mainly just the ride there and back. We had to be sold on some "original mayan" junk and were forced to "hang out" at a "contracted" mayan collective where we could and frankly "should" buy their stuff to preserve their culture.

We waited and bought our junk by the illegal vendors at Chichen Itza - so there - HA!

Anyway Tulum and Chichen Itza were AWESOME! I wish we had more time to hang out and see it more. But we were on a guided tour which was interesting - but we didn't have a lot of time to hang out. Oh well - reason to come back. Here is a collection of photos from these two places if you are interested. They are unedited so sorry if there are some dumb pictures. I didn't want to spend too much time posting - I want to be out at the pool. Adios!

Sorry...Pictures to come - Brandon is making me go to breakfast right now....and we only have 45 minutes to stuff our face with pancakes, waffles, omelets, pastries, and churros :-)

UPDATE -

Okay back from breakfast..yum...here are the pictures

Sunday - Tulum


Monday - Chichen Itza

Sorry...

So I think I offended some of you when speaking so highly of our time here in Cancun. For that I am sorry. And to show you how sorry I am I thought I would share with you the downside of our trip.

First of all there have been two salamanders who have found their way into our room. One in the shower while I was taking one and one in the bedroom after we came back to the room. Luckily Brandon saved me from them. Gross!

note: this is not what the salamander looked like - I was far to freaked out to take a picture and Brandon set it free outside before I got my wits about me. So I had to get this one from the web.

Second we have to contend with these buggers each morning as they bask in the morning sun trying to get their body temperature up.




Third the grounds of the Aventura Spa are so huge it takes us forever to walk from one side to the next in the 80 degree temperature. It is so much sometimes we have to stop for a dip in the pool to cool off. Maybe read a book at the side of the pool. But boy - all because it is just so huge.




There is also treacherous disasters just waiting for us at every turn. So we really have to be careful while we are peering over the endless ocean before us.


Our stomachs have started to hurt because we can't help but eat too much at all the unlimited food places. These crepes have really started to ruin our dinners and lunches and breakfasts. It is a really bad situation.




The Sun always seems to set really early here for some reason - so before we are ready we have to look out on the sun setting...very rude.



And it is very lonely because no one seems to be here. There are large swaths of beach without a soul on them. So in the end - despite how we try not to - we always have to spend a lot of quality time together.



So don't be jealous...things down here aren't as great as they seem. :-)

Allow me to be obnoxious

Today Brandon and I woke up late and had a nice breakfast buffet in an open air dining room. Then we sun bathed by the pool reading books

I'm reading Marley and Me (thanks to an early Christmas gift from the B)

He's reading The Conscience of a Liberal (my hand-me down book from school)



We then went in for our full body massages and hydrotherapy.

Now we are sitting in our room deciding what restaurant to head to for dinner and what excursions to go on - the water park? the aztec ruins? the beach? Life is difficult.

What have you all been up to? :-)

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Guess who we rode on our first flight to Mexico with?

Coicidentally as we were waiting for our flight, guess who showed up for her flight to Peru?



LORI!

She took the first leg to Dallas with us and we sat by each other - it was a great time. Nice to fly with you Lori - it was great!


--------------------------------------
We checked into our hotel and it is LAVISH! We have everything we could ever want and more - pictures to come!

Also I sent off my LAST final via email from Cancun! How cool is that?

-Enjoying my R E L A X A T I O N - Peace out..

It's 85 degrees in Mexico today...

Jealous?


Merry Christmas to all and to all a cold night. ;-)

We'll see you soon.

Peace out.

The Pill

Shortly after my second to last post on Lily she got strangely sick.

Yes, more than usual.

She began vomiting the yellow bile that so many dogs tend to vomit occasionally - but this was every hour. This is also different than her normal vomit - which tends to be projectile and offensively smelly. She vomited nearly hourly through the entire night. We were very scared, especially when the vomit started to include blood looking stuff. So we got her into the vet. The Dr. wanted to keep her there over the weekend for observation and to get her on an IV. She hadn't had a drink of water or bite to eat for over 24 hours by the time we got her in.

The poor thing has had such a rough life being abandoned by who know who left to be put down - rescued by our fostering group and then transferred from foster home to foster home then put indefinitely into a boarding situation. Last year we said we would foster her for a weekend when the boarding place got booked up for Thanksgiving.

We couldn't possibly send her back to the perpetual kennel so we decided to keep her long term. She has made such great progress and many of you have gotten over your fear of her. She tries so hard to be good, but she has had a very hard life and finds it difficult to trust people. I don't blame her.

Anyway I hope the news is good on Monday - we miss our "Pill."

PS...the Pill is home and she is feeling better....poor thing.


The red bandage is where she had the IV in her...ohhhhh Doesn't she just melt your heart?

The Vet couldn't find anything specifically that made her sick but she did find a fractured tooth. Poor thing is going to have to go in and have it extracted. No wonder she gets mad at people she's got a tooth that is literally split in half.

Santa or Deformed Elf?

So the organization that we foster dogs through was short a Santa this weekend for their annual get your dogs picture with Santa fundraiser at Petsmart. So poor Brandon got roped into it for a day. He got some of the reject pictures to bring home with him.

When I saw this picture I laughed so hard I was crying. It is particularly funny because he is so small in the middle of the picture squished by larger people to the sides.

So enjoy - laughed it up and consider it Brandon's Christmas present to everyone. I know I'm happy!

Lily's New Thing

So I think that Brandon and I have finally gotten Lily's vomit under control. The only time we have problems is when she is fed things by passerby's or by workers who don't know better at her showings at PetsMart or if she eats some random dogs poop on a walk. Other than that she is getting so much better!

So now what we are dealing with is her aggressiveness towards men, strangers, other dogs, bikes, cats, Lacey, Me, and her peeing on the rug in the bedroom and the bed itself. We are on the road to recovery! :-) Well almost...

Since I've been in school and have been spending more time at home Lily has started a new thing which is oh SO wonderful that I thought I would share it with you.

So our usual routine is Brandon walks them in the morning, I feed them around 5 and walk them around then as well. Well school has altered that schedule a bit but Lily has altered it more.

Yes, they still go on their morning walk, but moments after I get up Lily believes she wants to have her food. Doesn't matter if it is 8, 9, or 10 AM and this is how she tells me...

Yes she incessantly barks at my face...over and over and over and over and over...literally she can do it for hours. Until FINALLY I give in and give her food, or walk her, or play with her.

Now if you notice in the video I show you what happens when I tell her "no." She just barks LOUDER and LOUDER and closer to my face.

I get up walk around ignoring her and the moment I sit back down she starts to bark again. It is just plain AWESOME!

So finally I just give in. To show how she is controlling my life - today she ate half her food at about 10:30 after 45 minutes of barking. She got the rest of her food at about 2:30 when I got back from a meeting I had. Then they had their walk at 3:00.

BTW - this is what she does when I finally give in and ask her what a "walk" is what she wants.

And so you ask...why do you keep her.

Because she is just so darn cute.

On our walk she got all tangled up in her leash. Precious.

The Holiday Tree...

Hi all...so normally I am 100% against all things Chris Buttars says, does, breathes, etc... One of his most recent tantrums is his hatred of the Happy Holiday stuff at the stores - because we are a better community if we make all Jews, Hindu's, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists, and others feel like outsiders.

But the other night Brandon and I were at Smith's and we saw a sign that said "More Holiday Trees in Back" right next to a 5 foot tall pine tree - one that most people would refer to as a "Christmas Tree." So I said to Brandon okay that has gone a bit far - it is fundamentally a Christmas Tree - sure its history as a symbol of Christmas is sketchy at best and not does not go as far back into our history as you might guess - but for our contemporary world it is a Christmas Tree. Now I am about as anti-religion as you can get but I did think this had gone too far - until I stood corrected.

In the back of the store Brandon and I found exactly what Smith's was talking about...the Holiday Tree selection. And after searching through the possibilities we found our "Holiday Tree." It is a Norfolk Island Pine Tree not cut in a pot looking almost tropical and fern-like - just as I felt the 5 foot pine was definitely a "Christmas Tree"and I think our little Norfolk can rightfully be called a "Holiday Tree." It stands just about 4 feet tall and is currently perched, and living, on top of our dining room table all decorated up for the "holiday's."

Merry Holidays everyone...Merry Holidays :-)

BEST CONCERT EVER!

Tonight Brandon and I went to the Coldplay concert and it was AWESOME!

Two great moments were

1. they came out on a stage extension that was RIGHT in front of us - 9 rows up from us (we were on row 22 normally). Not a great picture - but I tried


2. They went backstage and emerged in the back of the stadium and climbed up to the upper part of the lower bowl and played on a makeshift stage that sat over like 5 chairs. Oh to be those folks up there!


It was a great concert. Expect to see me wearing my track jacket that I purchased at the concert :-)

For my readers (mom) who don't know who I am talking about check this out:

The dampening of HOPE

I just read my good friend Amanda's post on the election of Barack Obama.

At the same time I was reading an email I got which contained the LDS church's request after the passage of Prop 8. It was a call for civility and respect between the opposing sides.

The juxtaposition of the election on such a monumental scale with hope and progress into the future to the passage of hatred, bigotry, and intolerance in proposition 8 was hard to handle.

For the beginning of such an amazing night for me - the election of President Elect Obama, the gaining of a Democratic Majority on the County Council, the gain of 3 house seats in Salt Lake County and one Senate seat - it ended so poorly.

This is the email I received and was reading (bolding done by me):


Please note the paragraphs that talk about how we should treat each
other (both sides in this debate) and that the church never has had
any objection to medical, probate, hospitalization, and fair housing
for anyone. Members of the church who have worked to stop Prop 8,
like Steve Young's wife, should also be treated with respect. All
parties involved in the democratic process, should not be subject to
harassment and outright scare/hate tactics as members were at the
Oakland Temple and other places. This is not the end of this debate.
It will rise again in the three states where it passed. We can use
the democratic process for change without hate. The peaceful change
of power in the U.S. with President Obama should show the whole world
that democracy is alive and well!


Church Responds to Same-Sex Marriage Votes
11/05/2008 12:59 PM MST
SALT LAKE CITY - Since Proposition 8 was placed on the ballot in June
of this year, the citizens of California have considered the arguments
for and against same-sex marriage. After extensive debate between
those of different persuasions, voters have chosen to amend the
California State Constitution to state that marriage should be between
a man and a woman.

Voters in Arizona and Florida took the same course and amended their
constitutions to establish that marriage will continue to be between a
man and a woman.

Such an emotionally charged issue concerning the most personal and
cherished aspects of life — family, identity, intimacy and equality —
stirs fervent and deep feelings.

Most likely, the election results for these constitutional amendments
will not mean an end to the debate over same-sex marriage in this
country.

We hope that now and in the future all parties involved in this issue
will be well informed and act in a spirit of mutual respect and
civility toward those with a different position. No one on any side of
the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to
erroneous information.

It is important to understand that this issue for the Church has
always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage — a
union between a man and a woman.

Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and
are simply wrong. The Church's opposition to same-sex marriage neither
constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and
lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex
couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and
employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe
on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional
rights of churches.

Some, however, have mistakenly asserted that churches should not ever
be involved in politics when moral issues are involved. In fact,
churches and religious organizations are well within their
constitutional rights to speak out and be engaged in the many moral
and ethical problems facing society. While the Church does not endorse
candidates or platforms, it does reserve the right to speak out on
important issues.

Before it accepted the invitation to join broad-based coalitions for
the amendments, the Church knew that some of its members would choose
not to support its position. Voting choices by Latter-day Saints, like
all other people, are influenced by their own unique experiences and
circumstances. As we move forward from the election, Church members
need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together
for a better society.

Even though the democratic process can be demanding and difficult,
Latter-day Saints are profoundly grateful for and respect the ideals
of a true democracy.

The Church expresses deep appreciation for the hard work and
dedication of the many Latter-day Saints and others who supported the
coalitions in efforts regarding these amendments.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've decided to take my response to this statement from the LDS church off my blog.

I do it for one reason.

Unlike the anti-family agenda the LDS church has decided to promote with its words and action - my family relationships mean more to me than the words I feel like expressing now.

I only ask that you evaluate if what the LDS church is asking for in this statement is what they give back on this issue.

Our next president - Barack Obama!!!

There is no doubt I am thrilled at this win. I think I can stay living in this country which is really convenient and not only can I live in it but I can be proud and be happy with the direction this country is now going.

This is a massively historic win for us - and by us I say entire America. There has not been this shift in the worlds perception of the US in such a long time.

The BBC (Britain) said this "The United States has seen the biggest transformation in its standing in the world since the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1960. "

LA Times concerning Kenya "After U.S. networks declared Obama the winner, cheers and shouts erupted under tents where several hundred residents of Nyangoma-Kogelo had gathered. Women began dancing and men paraded around carrying tree branches, a symbol of celebration."

The Australian "The American people have turned the page. This is more than a vote for change. It is a act of renewal, a turning point in American history and a quest for a better nation."

"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times 10," Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights, told French radio. "America is rebecoming a New World."

Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski spoke of "a new America with a new credit of trust in the world."


It is a good day for the entire world. Congratulations, America, for getting one right. We know the next four years is NOT going to be easy as we clean up the disasters of the past. But for optimism and for hope we have won. We are moving in the right direction for a better country and a better world for all.

V O T E

This is it folks. The political equivalent to Christmas is here - election day.

Have you voted?

Have you voted correctly? :-)

Today I hope will bring the change I have been anxiously awaiting for 8 years ever since the devastation of the Supreme Court deciding the election in 2000. Then the void of morality our country had in re-electing Bush in 2004. Now we can finally make things right. I hope the following things happen by the end of tonight

1. Barack Obama is elected our next President of the United States.
2. The Salt Lake County Council is poised to be lead by the Democratic Party.
3. We make SOME headway into the super majority of the Republicans in the State Legislature.
4. Proposition 8 goes down in defeat in California.
5. No more Chris Buttars, no more Greg Curtis, no more Greg Hughes, no more Curt Bramble, no more LaVar Christiensen.

If all of these things happen it will be a GREAT night. For each one that doesn't it will be that much less-good of a night.

So go vote - if you haven't. Vote correctly. And we'll watch it come in.

The GOP - the party of yesterday....

I recommend you take a second to read this article. It is very true on many levels. This kind of focuses on the social aspects of the GOP losing ground and merit in our country - thank goodness...but it also agrees with another article I read recently talking demographically and statistically how the Republican Party has painted themselves into a corner. They associate themselves with suburban, white conservatives - a dying breed. As our country becomes more urban and more diverse the Republican Party, according to this article, is losing 1% of voting population every year. Every presidential election that is 4%, folks, - remember how close the last few elections have been.

Anyway here is the op-ed article in question.
The GOP - the party of yesterday

Here is a small taste:

Two years ago, a list of the nation’s brainiest cities was put together from Census Bureau reports — that is, cities with the highest percentage of college graduates, which is not the same as smart, of course.

These are vibrant, prosperous places where a knowledge economy and cool things to do after hours attract people from all over the country. Among the top 10, only two of those metro areas — Raleigh, N.C., and Lexington, Ky. — voted Republican in the 2004 presidential election.

This year, all 10 are likely to go Democratic. What’s more, with Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia now trending blue, Republicans stand to lose the nation’s 10 best-educated states as well.

Sounds good to me...

Just in case you missed it...

Yes, that is the real Sarah Palin.

Joe the Plumber is an idiot...

Okay another political rant...

So if you watched the debate last night you are certainly familiar with Joe the Plumber. Everyone seems to be fascinated with this guy and McCain was excited to use him as a political pawn in his talking points. Well I did a little extra research that I guarantee most people won't do and let's think about this for a minute.

By the way if you have six minutes you should watch the original exchange between the two. I was very impressed with how Obama responded to him - despite the fact this guy instantly seems quite confrontational.

Okay now to business...

1. Joe the Plumber is not a licensed Plumber - he feels he "doesn't need one"
2. Joe the Plumber does not currently earn over $250,000, "not even close" as he put it, despite this being what he told Obama which apparently was a hypothetical.


3. In Obama's plan, a business making over $250,000 would be in a higher bracket - but lets think about this business for a minute - this would be a company that takes in $250,000 in profit AFTER paying all his employee's, his health care for his employees, his operating expenses, and everything else - INCLUDING A NICE SALARY FOR HIMSELF AS THE CEO. So after all that if there is still a $250,000 profit for the company yes he would be paying 39% taxes as opposed to 36%.

I would be pretty darn happy if I owned a company that paid me a nice $249,999 in salary and was able to pay and provide a decent living for my employees and then still take in over $250,000 - especially if it were an un-licensed plumbing company - so much so that I doubt 36-39 percent would be a problem.

Joe...come on...we know you are a McCainy - I hope people realize how stupid this whole thing is and Joe the Plumber doesn't create cause for a McCain re-surge...

Brandon in a nutshell

Open letter to my extended family...

Dear family,

After seeing an article in the paper indicating the mobilization of support by the LDS church to help pass Proposition 8 in California, which would ban the currently legal gay marriage, I feel it would be dishonest and irresponsible of me not to extend my thoughts on the matter. I realize many of you may not share the opinions of the LDS church on this matter, but I feel strongly that I should speak.

I'm sure you all are aware of my politics and my views on our government and social issues. I haven't been shy about them in the past. But this issue moves much beyond politics. This is personal.

I am sure you are also aware that I am one of these "gays" that the church talks about in the abstract, one of these "gays" that the politicians talk about in the abstract. But I'm also the kid and the adult you have always known. I hope that as you are pressured to view things or pressured to participate in things, such as this, you put a face to these nameless people that are treated as second-class citizens without equal rights in this country.

I know you hold your beliefs dear and I don't want to put into question your devotion to your church and religion. What I am asking you to do is to reflect on what is being asked to be done and what reason you are doing it. I realize the reason publicly made is that the LDS church, as many churches, believes in the "sanctity of marriage and that it should remain solely between a man and a woman." While I disagree with that sentiment to its very core and rank it down with past transgressions on racial divisions, gender division, and others that have plagued our society for centuries - I will not argue with you on this point.

What I want to propose is that you can maintain your beliefs in your spiritual realm and if you want to exclude me and my partner of almost nine years from your temples and your ceremonies that is fine. That is your right. But can we not agree to live independently together in this country with differing views and differing lives? I have been together monogamously, happily, and securely with my partner for almost a decade. How many of you or your children have been with their partners for less than that and yet were instantly given recognition by society and given a gambit of instantly recognized rights simply for them being married. What is being denied to me and my partner is a secure life together, keeping to ourselves, with the same securities and support that you have. A life that allows me to know that if he gets sick I will be able to visit him in the hospital - without question. Knowing that if something were to happen to either of us we don't have to have a litany of documents which secure what a marriage would do automatically. More than that we are denied legitimacy as human beings in our society. How many of you have experienced that before?

The way my partner and I are living is as if we are married. If this law in California is defeated then my partner and I will continue to live as we have been and we will continue to be very happy. If the law is California is upheld then my partner and I will continue to live as we have been except with the promise of more security - with more support - with more recognition that we are human beings with rights. I think the fundamental issue here is for you to each take a moment of reflection and contemplate beyond the rhetoric, beyond the politics, and beyond the gut level reactions and think logically. How has my life, with my partner, affected yours? Don't think in hypotheticals or "what if's" but think logically. How really has my life affected yours?

I've done the same multiple times. I would say that knowing each and every one of you and all your uniqueness has been a value in my life I could never ignore or appreciate too much. As much as I might disagree with your religion on this issue I most certainly would not support a law to suppress your views on the matter - or a law that would suppress your right to practice your religion. But when your religion, views, or practices actively support an attempt to do the same to me I must admit it makes me question all the goodness I know to come from the LDS church.

The reality is you probably feel like you have heard versions of all this before. You probably aren't hearing anything new from me. But I would hope that somehow this is different because it is from me. What I would hope you would do is try and personalize this issue and put a human face to your cause. I did not choose to be gay. I went through years of torment and confusion in which tested the very core of my being. In church, growing up, I often heard the story of Joseph Smith so disgruntled with the choices of religion and seeking truth himself. He sought that truth through very difficult circumstances and the faith he founded continued to seek its own truth through persecution and misunderstanding even after he was gone.

I'm not going to devalue the life of Joseph Smith by saying I suffered like him, but I would suggest that we all seek our own truth throughout our lives - just as he did. For some of us it is easy and it is clear. For some of us it if very difficult. For me, it was the latter. Finding my truth was the hardest thing I have ever done. For finding that truth, in which I am living, I have never been so rewarded. I like to think the harder it is to find our truth the larger the reward will be in the end.

I have to be honest here and assume that what you find to be truth might conflict with what I found to be my own truth. With that all I would then argue is that truth might just be relative to each individual that seeks it. If we can agree on that statement then I would ask why does one's truth deserve to get legal, constitutional, or even spiritual rights over another when they can sufficiently live separately and equally within the same realm? Again, what has my family done to affect your family? I'd have to imagine nothing. Why would then, your family, have the right to affect mine?

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Please think of me and the so many others out there like me in your efforts this November.

North Salt Lake - the city between here and there...

For one of my classes this year I had to reflect on my childhood hometown - which I chose to be North Salt Lake City. We were to evaluate it based on many things like how we felt about our childhood hometown, memories we have, mobility, feelings of safety, what icons and image the city had. We were to look at whether or not the city had a sense of place, or a sense of entry and arrival. Finally we were to look at any importance in city planning in embracing the community identity that we could identify or suggest. This is the result. Since most of you that read this are my family which joined me in NSL - I'd love to hear your thoughts on the same matter...

Most of my childhood was spent in North Salt Lake City where I lived from fourth grade to graduation from High School with only a couple disruptions as my family moved around a lot. North Salt Lake is a community of about 13,000 people sitting just North of Salt Lake City, Utah. I have a lot of special feelings and memories about growing up in my hometown, however I am not sure they have a lot to do with the area, or the city, but more of just the circumstances of my youth.

I really don’t think I had a lot of conscience thoughts about my hometown while growing up. I felt it to be a safe and quiet community. It was very neighborhood based and very much based on LDS wards to differentiate social groups. As a child I was not active LDS and therefore felt quite a bit of isolation. Being a very suburban-bedroom community there was not a lot of social and public space and activity outside of the dominant religious institution. The city didn’t find it necessary to push for more multi-cultural facilities because so much of the community was already served by the dominant social coordinator – the LDS church.

There was no real business core or places for kids to “hang out.” In fact it could be argued creating kid-friendly hang out places was essentially discouraged worrying that it would bring more trouble than good. The main intersection of the community was two gas stations and the city hall, one gas station was tied to a strip mall with a smattering of businesses such as tax assistance and dry cleaning. Another intersection one block away which was tied to another strip mall that was constantly changing it’s make-up of stores with the exception of a locally owned drug store. There was a large park that was used for little league and soccer, but as I got older a dispute between the leagues and the concession eliminated its use for those purposes and it has sat practically empty since then.

I do have memories of walking to the local grocery store and getting together with friends in neighboring cities, but never in my own city. It is odd how empty my hometown feels the more I reflect on it for the purposes of this paper. Concerning mobility in the community if you didn’t have a bike when younger, or a car as you got older there was nowhere to go. The city was mostly perched on the hillside and it made it difficult for walking, biking, skateboarding, or those kinds of mobility devices. I remember times when I moved away from home to other states and came back without a car. I felt so trapped at my parents’ home unable to leave anywhere because an outing by walking would be a multi-hour trip anywhere worth going.

There are no real icons for the community in fact most people respond to “North Salt Lake” as “the place with the refineries?” While that icon is nothing to be positive about the city scrambled for years to find something else to give it identity. Their solution, I believe, was a large golf course at the top of the hillside surrounded by nice homes. The golf course has yet to make money as far as I know and it is most certainly not used by a large number of community members who don’t golf. I think the most use it gets is a 4th of July celebration every year on the 3rd of July. It suffers from being a city stuck between Salt Lake City, the largest city in the State, and Bountiful the 14th most populous city in the State. Being the 44th largest it can’t quite compete with what the neighboring communities can offer and has always suffered with an identity crisis.

Concerning a sense of entry with my hometown, the ironic thing is that is one of the things that have changed the most from what I can remember. They have placed and replaced a sign saying when you enter the city over and over. They have changed the sign and the logo and even toyed with giving the city a new name to try and give it more identity. They created a needless round-a-bout with an electronic welcoming sign in the middle to make the entry more clear and beautified. They placed it on the entry to the residential area instead of Highway 89, the major road in the city, to give it more of a pleasant bedroom community identity rather than the often sporadic corrugated metal pre-built and/or strip mall business community on Highway 89. They also have the sign sitting way back further than the actual beginning of the city. When traveling North you apparently now travel through the nether regions between Salt Lake City and North Salt Lake City that is the refinery land and gravel pit land. I think a large piece of it is technically North Salt Lake City but they have set the sign back far enough to let people think it is not the city with the refineries.

I think planning and community identity would be extremely important in a place like North Salt Lake or anywhere. Since the organic construction of the town has done more harm than good I am sure the city could benefit from the creation or the embodiment of its identity through some central planning. The city has long been associated with orchards that used to be throughout the area. Many things are named after those orchards like Orchard Drive and Orchard elementary but those Orchards are a thing of the past which has not been reused to create identity for the area. The city has suffered economically and so many who have been brave enough to try and open a locally owned business in any of these small strip malls have gone under. No chains come into the area, not because they aren’t wanted, but because they are smart enough to know there is no viability for it. Community identity would be so essential in city planning of North Salt Lake because it would essentially CREATE the community identity.

I think a recommendation I would give to North Salt Lake City to give it some identity is to redevelop a section of the city, ideally centrally located, in the heart of the town. Make a downtown that the community can be proud of. There are two obvious intersections that would suffice. Center Street and Orchard or Center Street and Highway 89. Orchard would be more ideal in that it is a calmer street and is close to the elementary school and some business community already established, including the bowling alley and the locally owned icon of Orchard Drug. I think developing this area into a dense walkable community would give a strong sense of “downtown North Salt Lake.” It would make a draw that would help bolster the businesses that struggle there already. It would give a space for the community to come together that isn’t a golf course or an empty park sitting by I-15. The city is lucky in that it is so close to downtown Salt Lake City and should take advantage of that fact. It is far enough away that it can be the quiet community that many seek, but close enough that it can take advantage of its culture and arts. A public transportation system of sorts would also benefit the area as there is no public transportation that goes East and West. It only runs North and South which is the smallest area of the city. A trolley or bus that went up the hill at good intervals would bring people to the downtown core and bring that area and community to life. Unfortunately I guess that depends on whether or not you can sell such a major redevelopment to the community. One that seems to be perfectly happy being stuck between Salt Lake and Bountiful with no identity to speak of.

What does this say about Utah?

Compare this Pat Oliphant Editorial Cartoon with this article...what does it say about Utah? Too much, I'm afraid.


U.S. didn't hate Palin's performance; Utah loved her

Even though Barry Bonds won't admit it...

I'm on steroids.

This is a non-picture update so you don't have to look at my rash.

I went back into the Dr. today and she has me on a nice dose of steroids.

Unfortunately for my physique it isn't the Barry Bonds kind of steroids it is one to calm my skin down. It actually suppresses my immune system which will undoubtedly make me sick - that is the current way of my life.

She questions it being poison oak because of its sporadic placement ALL over my body. I still think that is what it is. The alternatives, frankly, scare me worse. Maybe something I caught in a dirty hotel room bed?

Well here are the side effects of this steroid so you can know what I'm going through - it is called steroid euphoria...I will be hungry...I will be nauseous...I will be anxious...now I have learned the reason I'm hungry is because it keeps me from being nauseous which already seems pretty consistent. No signs of anxiety...yet - although I'm getting worried that is going to be bad. ;-)

Anywho - let's see how this fixes me up.

Remember the debate tonight. I am excited to watch it.

Back to the Dr........without insurance.

Okay I know you all love looking at my sexy legs...but I do it to prove a point. I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow to have her look at my rash - which despite its benign appearance last time on my face it has moved all over my body and onto my legs, my stomach, my arms, and my neck. This has just been so much fun...10 days later the rash still seems to be spreading. The most irritating point is it has crept down below my belt line - not that it is intruding on the unmentionables but that it is right where my pants, boxers, and belt cling to my body. Lets just say it isn't comfortable.

First of all this picture does not do the rash justice. Especially because you can't see the puss pods, as I call them, and you can't see the gigantor rash that is on the back of both my knees. You also can't see the general redness which pervades the whole thing and the fact that it itches like a mo fo. What you CAN see, however, is the enormous size in which my right knee (on your left) has exploded to without the use of saline injection (not sure why one would do this). It has added probably a couple of inches in diameter to my poor wittle knee and is so swollen I can't totally bend my leg. Not to mention I am feeling nauseous a lot of the time now.

Needless to say I am hating life right now as the election season is really heating up and I'm having a meeting every day plus my classes. Thankfully I'm not teaching. In so many ways.

So off to the doctor tomorrow to check things out and hopefully find some magic injection and/or pill which will make this whole thing better. Actually I'm concerned about the size of my knee - and the fact that it has continued to spread.

So anywho...I will try not to show you another part of my body with rash talk again on this blog unless I die - of which Brandon will be writing my last entry - or unless I have to have my leg amputated. Rest assured, if I do I will put the procedure on the blog.

Peace out...

Rashaholics Anonymous

Okay so without a proper diagnosis from a doctor I am treating my ever-spreading and ever-going to make me kill myself rash as though it is a nasty poison oak attack. As you can see from the picture this is behind my right leg. I have it now in 7 distinct spots beneath my waist and my head still burns with what seems to be a head version of this - which luckily isn't a gross but still makes my face itch, my ears itch, my neck itch.

Basically I want to die.

Well hopefully we are on the road to recovery although I swear I see a new spot every day. I've got a bit on my left hand, the back of my left arm, and on my left side of my face (as opposed to my right side you saw before) just starting to break out because it is very hot and very itchy. My beard which was the fashion statement of the summer has become a feast of itchiness but I fear shaving it would reveal even more rashities.

So to make my experience an educational one for the rest of you let me tell you what I have learned about Poison Oak.

Different people are susceptible at different levels. Some websites report that the super sensitive (I'm assuming me) can get affected by it by just getting close to the plant. It is extraordinarily toxic - don't burn it or break it in any way because it is the oils that are toxic and in smoke form it can get into your body. The oils are hard to see but can be very easily spread on animals, on clothes, or from your own hands.

The skin of your hands (the palms) are generally too tough for the oils to penetrate but are great ways to pass it along to other parts of your body. The more sensitive parts of your body (ie face) will be affected easily and first because the skin is thinner. Tougher spots (legs) will come on later. This give the illusion of it spreading. It is an old wives' tale that it spreads by itching. The varying times in which it shows up in parts of your body makes you think that.

Now what can spread is the oil and it is a long lasting stuff. If it is on your shoes or your pants it could stick around for A YEAR! So clean your stuff ASAP if infected with soap and warm water. The oil can also stay on your skin until you wash it off so it can spread then. If you know you get infected on a hike the best thing to do is run water over it ASAP before it has a chance to soak in. Now one product claims that the oils still remain to some degree in your rashes even after washing off - I bought it. It is supposed to break up the oil so it no longer poses a threat. Don't care if it works, I have tried everything. Calamine lotion, hydrocortisone (prescription strength and not), Tecnu (this is the stuff that breaks up the oil), oatmeal baths and just plain old itching. Everything seems to work to varying degrees but I have a trick that I learned that has worked the best.

Last night I woke up at 3:30ish AM and couldn't sleep because I was itching so much. I have not had a full nights sleep this entire week thanks to good ol' P.O. One thing I have experienced that was confirmed on a website and became my saving grace late last night was a HOT shower.

If you put the shower as hot as you can stand it - and I had it as hot as it would go - and aim that sucker right on your rashes you will experience one of THE most intense itch/scratch relief/pleasure sensations you could ever experience with water. What it is doing is releasing the histamines from your rash (the chemical in your body that causes you to itch) It is so amazingly intense and makes you want to itch in a really bad way. When done you are itch free for a long time - the website claimed up to 8 hours. Me - I was asleep and it felt so nice.

Anywho - that is what has been plaguing me for the last week. Oh I should also mention I have two strange lymph nodes - one at the point where my upper and lower jaw join on my right side of my face and one on the back of my head on the right side which are swollen to the point they are sore and I can't lay my head on that side so that doesn't help.

This has been such a great experience and I know that I will be stronger and wiser for it when it is all over....that is if I make it through it.

Don't be so rash...

How fun for me to put my medical issue on my blog. I am sure you are all happy. Anyway my right eye doesn't normally droop like this but for some reason I came back from sfo-that dirty dirty city and have somehow contracted a rash which has somehow spread itself around my head. It has concentrated around my right eye puffing up my lid to cause the pictured drooping. To make it more fun when I got back from sfo I had a letter indicating I was no longer getting health insurance through the school district as of the end of last month. Thanks for the notice. Anyway so now there are 40 mllion and one uninsured persons in this country. Go ahead and count another uninsured American for Obama and his healthcare initiatives. Anywho so now I am filling out forms at the student health services at the U along side the students getting std and pregnancy tests...awesome.

The Raconteurs

Well tonight we are at the reason for staying in sf until Monday...B is a big fan of the Raconteurs and they happened to be playing on Treasure Island this weekend. We bought tickets which B forgot at home, of course, - thanks Dianne for fedexing them to us! So we headed out to the island that sits in between Berkeley and San Francisco. It is a pretty cool venue for a concert with the city in the background. So here I am blogging at the concert doing my best to avoid a contact high - yes, San Fran is that cliche. The Band is doing a pretty good job. I came here skeptical but have enjoyed quite a few of the songs...Brandon Is enjoying all of them. anyway We are coming home tomorrow. thanks For watching the booger mom...sorry She ate your tomatoes and pooped in your basement. See Y'all tomorrow!

A day in Tilden

After an enormous meal at Cheeseboard pizza in Berkeley Brandon and I ventured out into the "wilderness" in Tilden park. It is just outside of the city and is filled with towering redwoods (pictured behind us) and non-native eucalyptus trees. What it created was a beautiful forest for us to walk and chat. It was a nice break and a gorgeous place to catch up. It seems like with how busy life is Brandon and I have to go on vacation just to get to know each other again!

By the way - here is a picture of where we ate our pizza - there is a park strip just outside of the place we buy the pizza where lots of people eat. Really this place is a sight to behold. It is SOOOOO good - today was like a 4 cheese pizza with roasted heirloom tomatoes. Yum!


Here is the crowd in front of the restaurant. Just in case you didn't read before - Cheeseboard is a collective restaurant meaning that all the employees own a share of the business and they trade their jobs from time to time. They have on pizza a day and you can get a whole, half, or slice. They have expanded this menu to include one kind of salad a day. Only in Berkeley.




PS - when we went to pick up our "economy" car the lady told us to pick any car along this one aisle. So we picked the ford mustang :-) When we left through the gate the lady said "there weren't any economy's?" I responded, "the other lady told us we could have this one." She let us go...lol!

Five years later....

Can you believe it ha been five years since Brandon graduated from Berkeley? Well right now I am taking this picture of the iconic clock tower on the Berkeley campus as I walk with Brandon as he reminisces with his classmates like Manoosh and her husband, Parham. We are here for his class reunion. This also marks five years since we moved to Portland. It is scary how fast time flys as cliche as it might be to say. What a new adventure it was to move away from family and friends and embark on a new life. Even though it was one of the hardest moves I've ever done, it was a good experience. Of course mo accurately that move was at the beginning of the summer-in fact now would be the time that we were arriving in Washington DC. Well that is a topic for another post since I am heading bac there this January for the inauguration of Barack Obama!

In case you missed it...

I particularly enjoy the part at about four minutes and twenty seconds into the clip.

Comparisons to know before voting...

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.


* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.


* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.


* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.


* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.


* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.


* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Matt Damon on Palin

So, I don't usually get into the "stars" and their comments or opinions on politics...but I must admit I quite enjoyed this rant by Matt Damon. The best line is "I need to know if she really thinks Dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago...because she's going to have the nuclear codes."

From a native Wasilla Alaskan...

Many of you know my friend Ryan Quinn. Well just today I received an email from him in which he passed on a piece he wrote about growing up in Wasilla, Alaska - yes, the home town of the GOP VP Sarah Palin. I thought you might find his comments interesting as someone who knows here a lot more than the rest of us.


To my fellow Americans

I’m an Alaskan. I grew up in Wasilla. Sarah Palin was my mayor. She wanted to ban books at the library where my parents taught me how to read. There have been many interesting pieces of journalism introducing my gun toting, mooseburger-eating former neighbors (I now live in Manhattan) to the rest of the country, and most have focused on how proud Alaskans are of their governor making the surprise leap to the big leagues.

Sarah Palin’s story is compelling, but it is one that could happen only in Alaska , where the politics and the economy are simple and where it’s not difficult to spend a lifetime sheltered from the complexities and diversity of the outside world. I love my home state; I wouldn’t trade my childhood there with anyone. And I hope the Palin intrigue will translate into a boost in tourism that will further enrich the state’s $5 billion budget surplus, so that when Gov. Palin returns to Juneau in November she can continue to serve Alaska ’s interests with relative ease.

But as reporters roam the streets where I grew up, chatting with my ecstatic neighbors, I feel compelled to offer another view, as an American, by pointing out that John McCain has demonstrated an alarming lapse of judgment by choosing Sarah Palin as his party’s VP candidate. Choosing a running mate was his first and only concrete test of judgment in the campaign process. Here’s why he failed.

My fellow Alaskans have vouched for Palin as a charming, interesting person. I can add to that that she is perfectly friendly. But now she is running for the highest office and so it must be noted that Sarah Palin the Friendly Neighbor is different from Sarah Palin the Executive. The latter is a woman with intense agendas guided by a narrow set of culturally conservative and extreme religious values. She believes that abstinence should be the only form of sex education taught to teenagers; she believes that creationism should be taught alongside science in our schools; she is against a woman’s right to choose even in the cases of incest and rape; and her church believes gay and lesbian Americans can and, one assumes, should be corrected by prayer (“pray away the gay” is their cheery slogan).

When she was mayor of my hometown, these extreme views came off as petty and irrelevant to people like me who did not share them. There seemed little cause for alarm. Most Alaskans are happy to live and let live; we don’t think of ourselves as Republican or Democrat. Besides, as mayor, it’s not like she had the power to wiretap our phones, amend our constitution, or send us to war.

But she did try to use her power to ban books. Wasilla’s popular public librarian rightly objected, and the community rightly backed the librarian. The books were never banned, though Mrs. Palin did fire the librarian for not agreeing with her political views, then rescinded the firing after it was clear she’d made an unpopular decision. Sarah Palin’s behavior is revealing: in a state as isolated as Alaska , in a town as small as Wasilla, books are vital to the culture and to the education of its residents. The small town values I learned growing up included attending story hour at the public library. Those values most certainly did not include trying to ban books that the mayor’s church friends didn’t think other people should read.

It will be interesting to see what effect Gov. Palin’s penchant for reform will have on the McCain campaign. Will she put one of Cindy McCain’s private jets on eBay? Maybe one of the McCain’s seven houses? It certainly hasn’t meant she’ll answer any questions from voters or the press. Her very first media interview won’t come until later this week. The reason is clear: she’s not ready to answer questions about the housing crisis, foreign policy or healthcare. So far she’s been allowed into public view only to deliver a speech similar to the one she gave at her party’s convention, the one in which, with the sass and smile of a punch line, she ridiculed community organizers who step up to help less fortunate communities whose government has allowed them to fall through the cracks. Her speech made for good television, something the McCain camp felt they desperately needed. And it sure fired up the folks at the Republican National Convention. Who can blame them? They finally have a candidate who can shoot a gun, drink a beer AND speak in complete English sentences. This is real change for them.

In recent days, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin have directed accusations of elitism at the Democratic ticket as well as at the media, suggesting that there is something undesirable about a presidential candidate with extensive knowledge of foreign policy, inner city community struggles, constitutional law, and the complexities of the major domestic crises. This is baffling. Don’t we want an elite leader? Don’t we want a White House made transparent by an elite press? We are a large and complex nation with large and complex problems. Common sense suggests, and the last eight years have shown, that perhaps the president should be something of an elite leader.

Barack Obama studied international relations at Columbia (he also has a law degree and has taught constitutional law) before returning to Chicago to be a community organizer. Meanwhile, Mrs. Palin ran for Miss Alaska (she placed second) and then received a Bachelor’s degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho . She returned to Alaska and became a reporter at a television station’s sports desk.

For just 22 months Sarah Palin has been the governor of a state of just 680,000 people that is “awash” in money (as former Alaska governor Tony Knowles put it) and receives more pork-barrel money per capita than any other state. Alaska has no tricky border or immigration issues with the remote parts of British Columbia and the coast of Siberia . There are no inner cities struggling with poverty and daily violence. There is a lot of drunk driving (Alaska is dark and cold much of the year), though the state police force is well funded and the road system they patrol is startlingly simple; I can’t think of a stretch of highway lasting 15 miles that has more than 4 lanes.

To use a metaphor from track (a sport the Palins are fond of), putting Gov. Palin on a presidential ticket is like Coach McCain sending a promising high school long-jumper to compete for Team USA in the Olympic decathlon. It’s a really bad coaching decision. And by all accounts McCain’s vetting process was hasty and impulsive.

John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin shows that he is moving farther and farther to the right of mainstream America . If he’s doing it for political reasons, he’s no maverick. If he’s doing this for reasons of principle, he is merely out of touch with most Americans. Ninety percent of the delegates to the Republican National Convention were white. That might resemble the America that the Republican party sees, and it certainly resembles the demographics that shaped Gov. Palin over the many years she’s lived in Alaska . But it’s not the America most Americans live in. Not only is Sarah Palin’s executive experience inadequate, her worldview is not possibly diverse or nuanced enough to appreciate either the domestic challenges or international complexities that a VP must grasp at the most basic level. A McCain/Palin administration would be risky at best, and potentially disastrous.

I’m sick of Republicans suggesting I’m unpatriotic while they ruin my reputation around the world. I’m sick of people casting votes of fear because of threats that are mischaracterized and exploited by their own political leaders. I’m sick of distorted television commercials being my country’s primary method of public discourse. And I’m sick of being told that straight, white, Evangelical family values are better for my country than my family’s values. Anyone who has paid lip service to the idea that America ’s strength relies upon its diversity, be warned: it’s actually true, and it will be even truer in the future. I think my generation will be known as the diversity generation. We get America . We are ready to be leaders for the world community. We are motivated. We think. We are patriotic.

And if we vote, we cannot be outnumbered.



Ryan Quinn
8 September 2008


Ryan Quinn was born and raised in Alaska . He now lives in New York City .
He can be reached at nvrstpthnkng@gmail.com

New berp features!!!

Okay I know you have all wanted to know more about my day because I am so interesting. har De har har!!! Anyway I now will be transmitting my thoughts to my twitter feed on the left side of this blog. there Is already a couple of posts under 'my stream of consciousness'. That will be fun won't it? Then the second thing is I will occasionally be blogging via my cell phone which is what I am doing right now! this Way will Be able to send posts throughout the day more easily. You may have to forgive some grammatical issues cuz the phone is not the easiest thing sometimes. The posts might not be the extensive essays you are used to either since I have to keep it under 1000 characters-not to mention the fun of typing in my phone...which On this post has warn thin...so Peace out!!!

Mom made me post it...

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700256299,00.html

I hate Republicans PART TWO

I hate Republicans...

Okay - I know that is a blanket statement that maybe I shouldn't make. I know some very nice Republicans...Matt, Jeff...BUT - I was so disgusted by the Republican Convention last night with the sarcastic blasting by Sarah Palin topping it off. Was the speech powerful and dynamic. YES. Was it false and irritating? YES!

This woman has "experience" yes...but she is governor of a state that has less people in it than Salt Lake County. Does this mean that Peter Corroon is qualified to be Vice President of the Untied States? I love Peter, but no, I don't think so. Neither is she. She attacked Barack Obama as a "community organizer" basically saying it wasn't worth anything. He helped get communities built back up and back to work after steel factories closed. I think that is pretty impressive especially considering he could have gone to work for a big law firm and make lots of money but he decided instead to go help his community. She was a shrill whiner that has used lies like the rest of them to push their agenda.

What makes me sick is that Republicans will follow behind them without checking into what they say. So I thought I would post this article which does a little fact checking of what they say.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

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Associated Press Writer Jim Drinkard in Washington contributed to this report.