Saintless

Remember the fiasco last year, where your beloved Granite Block suddenly was scheduled for demolition, to be replaced by some big box store, and now it’s a gaping hole?

Well, you were so easy to pull one over on last time, that Wal-Mart is about to move in where the old K-Mart was, on Parley’s Way. Here’s the email Wal-Mart Watch just sent me:

Dear Misty, The Salt Lake City Planning Commission is voting tomorrow on a controversial Wal-Mart project, and we need you to take action and urge a ‘no’ vote to help preserve the local economy and environment. A little background on the issue: Wal-Mart is desperate to build a new store at the site of the old K-Mart building on 2705 E. Parleys Way in Sugar House. The area, on the east side of Salt Lake City, is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, and is known for its distinctive local stores and small-town charm. But before it can build, the commission must vote to bend the rules and rezone the property, so that Wal-Mart can rip down a perfectly usable old K-Mart building to build an entirely new store. The reasons to oppose the Sugar House Wal-Mart project are numerous: The Fehr Traffic Study shows that traffic congestion under current background conditions is already at a failing level, and traffic with yet another Wal-Mart would only get worse. This project is incompatible with the Downtown Rising project, and looks to endanger the area’s local businesses. Wal-Mart has a history of bringing air pollution and water runoff pollution, which threatens to drain into local tributaries. A variety of neighborhood groups, including The Sugar House, East Bench, Greater Avenues, Bonneville Hills, Wasatch Hollow, Sunnyside East and Yalecrest community councils, have all voted to oppose the rezoning. TAKE ACTION NOW! Concerned citizens should contact the Salt Lake City Planning Commission immediately by emailing nick.britton@slc.gov or calling (801) 535-6107 - let the commission know that a new Wal-Mart is not a good fit for Sugar House. All opinions will be taken into consideration before tomorrow’s vote. Remember, if you don’t let the planning commission know how you feel by tomorrow, it could be too late!

This is really going to suck if it happens. Sugar House is an awesome community, and a store like Wal-Mart doesn’t belong there for a lot of different reasons. Pick your favorite, and call and/or email the planning commission!

Don’t just sit there, DO SOMETHING!

Update 1: The email address above is incorrect. I have called Mr. Britton to find out the correct address, and will update it as soon as I can. In the meantime, give him a call to express your opinion!

In Obama’s interview with Olbermann last night, he mentioned a cartoon that I found very amusing.

(h/t Bill in Portland, Maine)

I had a very good discussion with someone at work yesterday, who is very conservative. I’ve had a lot of really interesting conversations with him over the last year or so. A lot of them are very refreshing because, although his viewpoint differs greatly from my own on many key issues, we have never had any negativity in our conversations. Generally, I try to avoid politics at work, to keep things happy. Too many people get pissy when you disagree, and this election has the potential for some very heated conversations.

Anyway, this guy is conservative on both social and political issues. He’s expressed frustration over McCain’s candidacy, and repeatedly said he felt like he was going to have to hold his nose and vote. But, yesterday, he expressed how excited he is over Palin’s nomination. He felt good about her, because she’s not a Washington insider, though he’s sure that by the time she spends any time there, she’ll be no different than the rest. But, for now, she’s a breath of fresh air to him. He likes her conservative background, and she’s the only reason he’s going to be happy to cast his vote this November.

I can understand that. If Hillary had won the primary, I think I’d have only felt good about voting for her if she had chosen someone who was so outspokenly liberal as to pretty much be controversial for the VP candidate.

But, given that the GOP has tried so hard to make the national security issue one that they own, it seems odd to me that they’d put someone so extremely inexperienced so close to being Commander in Chief. McCain is OLD. Not old as in “I’m 31 and can’t ever imagine being 50″. Old as in ready to kick the bucket. Old as in suffering from CRS. Old as in 77 is the average life expectancy in the US. That doesn’t even take into account his melanoma or lasting effects of injuries that might affect him due to his POW experiences. The likelihood of Palin taking over as President should not be ignored.

Palin is not some squeaky clean hockey mom, as some would have Americans believe. She has some definite question marks hanging over her head. We know almost nothing about her.

• Except that she campaigned for governor on the issue of making the Bridge to Nowhere happen, then decided it shouldn’t (after it became a national issue), but didn’t give the money back, and used it for other things.
  • The previous sentence can be shortened to “She’s a liar“.
• We know that she accused Obama of requesting $1 Billion in earmarks, even though he only requested $311 Million last year, which he made public, and hasn’t requested any this year.
  • The previous sentence can be shortened to “She’s a liar“.
• We know that she claims to have fought against earmarks during her time in office, but she has made the largest per-capita pork requests of any state in the union, and hired a lobbyist to get earmarks for Wasilla (pop. 7,500) totalling $27 Million.
  • The previous sentence can be shortened to “She’s a liar“.
• We know that she touts her time as Wasilla’s mayor as proof of executive experience, but she mismanaged building a sports stadium, and ran the town into the ground.
  • The previous sentence can be shortened to “She’s a failure“.
• We know that Palin claims to be ready to lead the nation, but won’t be meeting with the media until they can promise to behave themselves and be deferential to her.
  • The previous sentence can be shortened to “She’s not ready“.
• We know that she claims to put America first, but she was a member of the Alaska Secessionist Party, and even made them a video earlier this year.
  • The previous sentence can be shortened to “Alaska First - Alaska Always“.

I really hope I’m done with talking about Palin at this point. There are so many positives about Obama and Biden, and the negatives of John Bush McCain really need to be repeated. Palin was selected to throw everyone off, and change the conversation being had. She was selected to overshadow the Bush-McCain connection. Can’t let that happen. No way, no how, no McCain.

Keith Olbermann asked Senator Obama a question on Rachel Maddow’s behalf during an interview aired today. He basically asked Obama if he was sorry that he’d essentially banned 527 groups from his campaign, thereby eliminating their ability to go after McCain for him, especially after things like the recent “uppity” remark.

Obama seemed a bit surprised by the question, and came back saying that people wanted change, and that type of thing wasn’t change. I can’t wait for the videos of this interview to show up on YouTube.com!

If you are sitting around, saying to yourself that you wish you had plans this weekend, you’re in luck! How about heading to Grand Junction, Colorado, as part of Drive for Change?

Can’t afford it?

Well, you have to eat, anyway! And all you’ll have to pay for is your food.

Colorado is swinging back and forth, and we can’t afford to let McCain win there!

From the Campaign:

Utah for Obama will be departing from our Salt Lake City headquarters this Friday, September 12th at 5:30 p.m. to talk to voters in Grand Junction, CO about the Obama-Biden plan for the change we need.

We will be returning on Sunday evening, though there will be an option to return Saturday as well. All costs will be covered except for food. Please let us know in the sign-up form whether you can drive or will need housing.Help us do our part in ensuring that Barack and Joe win this most crucial of battleground states.

No prior experience is needed.

Still haven’t convinced you? Do you really want to help, but just can’t make the trip? Consider purchasing a gas card, and giving it as an in-kind donation, to help others get there. You can drop it off at the new Utah Campaign HQ: 780 E., South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84102 or call the office at (801) 983-7372 to make arrangements.

Sunday is one of my Top 7 Favorite Days of the Week. Because every Sunday, Frank Warren posts a new edition of PostSecret. The voyeur in me loves to take this sneak peak into other people’s lives, and wonder about the rest of the stories they hint at. Sometimes I think about what my secret would be if I sent it in right then.

Some of them are cute or funny

Some are pretty serious:

Some just really make you think.

So, on my To Do list is to figure out how to get Frank Warren to bring the show to Utah. Here’s the latest tour video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV7iZ0A8_rk]

November is less than 10 weeks away, as Justin of the Young Democrats of Utah reminded me via the email below. We can’t just wait around and see how this turns out, we have to be a part of changing how it turns out!

Misty,

With the election closing in on us fast, it is time for us to get in gear and start working to get Democrats elected.

The Young Democrats will be knocking on doors every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1 PM

Please come out and join us.

This Saturday we will be meeting at Dimple Dell Rec Center 10600 So. 1000 E. in the 10600 So. parking lot.

Come out knock a few doors, meet some new friends, and get a free t-shirt.

To RSVP:

Email justin@youngdemsofutah.org

Phone 801-824-4073

We will also be making phone calls every Thursday from now until the election.

Our Headquarters are located at 1063 E. 3300 So. (in the Corroon campaign headquarters)

If you have any questions about these events or how you can get involved please let me know.

Justin

You can also sign up to volunteer through Utah for Obama by calling 801.983.7372. Don’t let yourself wake up in November and realize that the wrong person got elected at any level of politics. Do something today!

Sean Means, aka Culture Vulture on the SL Tribs blog, joined us last night for the Drinking Liberally McCain watch party. He sat between Josie Valdez and myself, and was quite fun to sit by during the drinking game. He even pointed out some of the drinking cues that we were missing, not that everyone there needed any additional cues…

Here’s his take on the event.

“When you’ve lived in a box”? He was homeless?

Let the political games begin!

“McCain votes against vets” was a sign just shown on the KUED feed. I bet he got kicked out shortly after!

“I’m grateful to the President of the United States for preventing the worst attack in our history” He couldn’t say Bush?

They’re showing the votes against vets guy over and over.

“41st president” Can’t even say “Bush, Sr.”?

Awww, isn’t that sweet. Cindy is his inspiration. (That’s how he gets it up)

“We’re all men”? Except us women….

“A word to Sen Obama and his supporters. We’ll go at it over the next two months, and there are big differences. But you have my respect and admiration, despite our difference, there is more that unites us than divides us. And that’s an association that means more to me than any other.”

McCain, are you pulling another flip-flop, with the Unity message?

“Americans want us to stop yelling at each other. Okay!” Is that a promise?

What’s with the USA chanting every time McCain opens his mouth? They don’t want to hear him?

Palin is his partner? Did he get permission from Cindy?

“She has executive experience”? Yeah, running that poor town of Wasila into the ground.

“She doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down”…and the camera cuts away to her sitting. Haha!

He “doesn’t work for special interests”? No, he owns them.

This bar is making a lot of money off of KUED showing every minority (all 38 of them) in the crowd repeatedly.

He works for people like me? I want to fire him, then…

He’s fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes? What a cowboy!

“I’d rather lose an election than see my country lose a war” Riiighhhht, you mean you’d just rather see your country fight a way, any war.

“It matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test.” So, he can say it and still not understand it?”

What’s this mentioning random people? Is this his version of Obama’s bringing people to Denver and putting them on stage, by drawing the names of random donors?

“We lost the trust of the American people” due to corruption. So go home already!!

“We valued the power over the trust of the people” Yep, and still do.

This speech is seriously the equivalent of an abusive boyfriend promising he’s changed and won’t do it again.

Ugh, believe in the rule of law my ass. As long as we continue to let them make them up as they go.

His party will open the market to new goods and services? How about the new energy goods and services that your party wants to stifle in favor of oil?

Dax is right…Colbert needs to have another bluescreen contest.

He won’t let jobs go overseas? They don’t get technology well enough to do jack shit about it. If they did, technology groups would not overwhelmingly favor Obama.

He will bring back old jobs? Idiot, you can’t bring back the old ones, you have to make new ones, using new technology and leading ideas, moving forward to the future. And right now the best way to do that is green technology.

I think McCain’s up there advocating vouchers. Wonder if Utah voters get that. Note to self, put it on YouTube.

Guy yawning in the audience. Guess he’s heard it all.

There are about 45 people in this room and about half are yelling at the tv now. Especially over the drilling thing.

“In America, we change things that need to be changed.” Yeah, kick the bums out!

“I’ve been an imperfect servant of our country for several years”? Ummm, yeah but you were perfect before that.

OMG, McCain was a POW? This one’s been like 5 minutes coming. I think he should be proud that he got this far into his speech without bringing it up.

Oh, these liberals drinking are tired of hearing McCain, and are muting it, in favor of the band. Gotta love closed captioning.

Ok, that’s not happening. Oh, well. It’s been fun. Thanks for reading. Live blogging over.

Note: I’m live tape delay blogging this from the Drinking Liberally party at Saints and Sinners, so don’t forget to refresh, and feel free to leave comments!

Bob is introducing Gwen and his daughter Liza, who just got back from Japan.

Obama is going to do well nationwide, and here in Utah, but it’s no time to relax.

Cell phones are a major problem with political polls. We have as many voters under 30 as we have over 65. Conventional wisdom is that people under 30 don’t vote. But, they do, and in particular they will in this election. We need to get involved with that crowd, and keep them involved.

Corroon is a dream candidate in Salt Lake, we have lots of them statewide.

Josie is up now. Bob is a strong candidate for governor, and we have a strong woman candidate for leutenant governor, who happens to be a minority. Let’s turn this state purple. That legislature is too red. We must have balance to have reason. Let’s get out there to work, and make this happen.

Because only you can prevent forest fires!

This one’s over….head on to the next one.

Note: I’m live tape delay blogging this from the Drinking Liberally party at Saints and Sinners, so don’t forget to refresh, and feel free to leave comments!

It looks like when the talking heads finish up, the John McCain Tribute video will be next. Should be about 10 minutes. I’m off to get my drink!

Josie’s here, she’s got Bob Springmeyer signs. She led our toast with “To the blue in you”.

As we drove over, I was listening to Cindy McCain’s tribute video on KCPW. I thought it was interesting that, as they discussed her life, and her meeting John McCain, they said it was “love at first sight”, but neglected to mention that he was still married to his first wife….

It looks like PBS must be on tape-delay, and that’s what we’re watching it on here. So, I’ll be a little behind…

We’ve got 30 people here so far at Saints and Sinners. Nice little bar. It might make a good place for our next bar-based fundraiser!

Turns out that because of the delay, Former Governor Tom Ridge is where we’re at right now. Since I’m not sure we’ll be able to hear him, I’m not going to bother starting a new blog yet.

This one’s over….head on to the next one.

Haha! There was just an Abe Lincoln they showed in the audience. That’s awesome!

Tom Ridge (TR): it’s not about who can take the 3 am call, it’s about who has been taking them all his life.

Really, Tom? Because with McCain’s 2 Ambien at bedtime every night, he won’t be capable of taking that 3 am call….

Bob and Gwen Springmeyer just arrived. Let the party begin!

We’ve got the Cindy McCain tribute video going now. Isn’t that sweet…..they’re showing the Fast and Furious scene while talking about her drift racing with her son. Wonder if they got permission?

Cindy’s beginning her speech, now.  They apparently don’t have the teleprompter synced with the closed captioning, too many typos.

“If only the federal government would get itself under control and out of our way?” WTF? Seriously, it’s the GOP that won’t fund schools properly and wants creationism taught in school!

“Battle for human rights…dignity and equality for all people”? Except if they’re poor, black, hispanic, gay, or some other group that doesn’t fit nicely into their perfect world? She at least has adopted a minority child, but the party she’s talking about doesn’t really jive with what she’s saying.

Moose hunting…pistol packing…mom. That’s good for a laugh.

“Jimmy..strap on his weapons?” Mmm…sexy!

“Loyal and loving” as long as you’re the hottest woman he’s seen lately.

Note: I’m live tape delay blogging this from the Drinking Liberally party at Saints and Sinners, so don’t forget to refresh, and feel free to leave comments!