Cain Manor

Earlier when I came up with original “Why I’m voting or Obama” post, I saw this picture. Over the last few days, I’ve thought more about this picture, and what I think it says about him as a person. This is the same week that Sarah Palin’s $150,000 shopping spree came to light (and a week after umm.. anonymous sources said Michelle Obama ordered Caviar and Champagne at a high end NY hotel, which was false), but it’s not really about that. This is about someone with the ability to wear brand new shoes, but doesn’t see the need to spend the money. Right now this is what our country needs.

Ultimately, it came down to the fact I want to remember this picture. If you’ll read the blog, you’ll see one salient theme – it’s about stuff I care to remember.

This photo came from the same photo essay as earlier. You need to hit “show more images” a few times to get all the photos. It’s great work. The original caption was:

Senator Obama was doing press interviews by telephone in a holding room between events. Sometime later as he was getting ready to begin his event, he asked me if I was photographing his shoes. When I said yes, he told me that he had already had them resoled once since he entered the race a year earlier. Providence, R.I., 3/1/2008.

I find it funny they (Republicans, Rove, etc.) call Barack Obama an elitist. It’s scary that people believe it. I can’t remember where I got this, but it’s pretty good stuff.

I’ve always felt cleanliness is next to godliness.  There are many, many other reasons, but really, cleaning up after yourself? That’ll get my vote every time.

Do you think the current president has ever cleans up after himself?  I’m pretty sure Barack (and the rest of use) will be cleaning those messes up for a long time to come.

The original caption, from HERE

I loved that he cleaned up after himself before leaving an ice cream shop in Wapello, Iowa. He didn’t have to. The event was over and the press had left. He is used to taking care of things himself and I think this is one of the qualities that makes Obama different from so many other political candidates I’ve encountered. Nov. 7, 2007.

This article, written by Bruce Schneier, was in Wired Magazine in 2006. Even though time has passed, this is the best explanation as to why privacy – my privacy and your privacy – is so very important. I’ve always had a hard time explaining it, and when I reference this article, I always have a hard time finding it again.

The most common retort against privacy advocates — by those in favor of ID checks, cameras, databases, data mining and other wholesale surveillance measures — is this line: “If you aren’t doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?” Continue reading ‘The Eternal Value of Privacy’ »

It’s been a bad day for those of us that aren’t happy with our government. The latest news…

Federal agents may take a traveler’s laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop’s contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In other words, they can take your laptop for as long as they want, for any reason, and share it with anyone they want.

In other news [Washington Post and MSNBC - dead links both]..

A Bush administration proposal aimed at protecting health-care workers who object to abortion, and to birth-control methods they consider tantamount to abortion, has escalated a bitter debate over the balance between religious freedom and patients’ rights.

The Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing a draft regulation that would deny federal funding to any hospital, clinic, health plan or other entity that does not accommodate employees who want to opt out of participating in care that runs counter to their personal convictions, including providing birth-control pills, IUDs and the Plan B emergency contraceptive.

This means that if a nutjob that thinks the Birth Control pill is the same as having an abortion, they can deny you the pill. Should a hospital try to put rules in place forcing Pharmacist to dispense the pill regardless of their personal beliefs, the government will pull their funding.

I really want my country back.