Biden @ Lyco and Palin @ Bowman Field

Today was an awesome day. I went to hear Joe Biden speak with passion and then geared up for the Palin visit. Before I go into anything, I want to point out how ironic it is that Palin was speaking at the stadium used by a team called the "Cross Cutters." Take what you will from it, but I find it rather ironic.

The Biden rally was much what I expected it to be, and I saw many people there I had no clue supported Obama but wasn't surprised that they did. We didn't wait long, It was inside, and it was nice and toasty. It was a cozy environment full of hope. Several hundred people showed up, old, young black white, latino, christian, jew, muslim, the whole shebang. Everyone was local and many people knew each other and talked about how uplifting the experience was and of course a lot of Philadelphia Phillies talk. Biden didn't bash Palin or McCain and instead explained positions and offered clear plans. The Palin event couldn't have been more different.

First off, they had to hold it at Bowman field because they bussed in people from State College, Lewisburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, and Bloomsburg. Then people would exclaim how McCain would win the election and of course cause Palin lured thousands from Williamsport come out, yet Biden had only several hundred. Seriously, that's your deductive thinking? Biden's visit was last minute, Palin's was planned. And if you don't believe me that's your fault for not going to both, the difference was clear.

I didn't go into the stadium, because, let's face it - I have a temper and I don't play well with Hard-Right Neo-Cons. But a lot of people from the Biden Rally actually did, to hear first hand the Palin message of hate and to give her a chance to talk to them. Nobody I talked to who went to both came away voting for McCain. By all accounts of independant voters I talked to ( granted were not many the event was one big Bible hugfest) Palin spent most of her time attacking Obama and Biden instead of dealing directly with issues.

The saddest part of the whole experience was the vile hatred towards us. There were grade school children with us who were subjected to many vulgar words, hateful words, people yelling about Obama being an Arab or Muslim, claiming a right to life means a raped woman who is not christian must succumb to christian values and have the baby. Many well to do folk who told us to go to Russia and to enjoy a socalist USA and many, MANY rednecks who told us to: "go to fu#$ing hell" "you're a bunch of f#@king losers" "god hates you fag loving hippies" "you're going to f&^king hell." Mind you there were children present everywhere. There were people driving by rolling down their windows yelling "baby killer" and giving us the finger. WHO GIVES THE FINGER TO AN 8-YEAR-OLD GIRL?!?! Then three people tried to steal our coffee, doughnuts, signs, and sign making materials and when we chased after them, they dropped everything but threw the coffee and kicked the bags, yelling how it was on the ground and therefore open game. The man called me a "fu*&ing piece of shit" and a "ni&&er lover" and challenged me to fight, boy did I want to. We did have several people apologize for the behavior of many of the flock and say while they disagreed with our positions, that we still had our right to be there and we shouldn't have to deal with vulgarity and verbal abuse.

This is exactly the problem with McCain/Palin. They offer up nothing but hatred and division while telling people they must pay taxes on $5000 the gov will give you, meaning here's $5000 now pay us $300 to $600 in taxes, which by the way can't come from the $5000 we're giving you. I read the McCain plan, that's exactly how it works. And here's a catch, it will be considered income, which violates MANY tax laws. It can NOT be considered income. That's what the GOP ticket is running on: FEAR AND HATRED. I can't wait for Obama to win. And let us not forget that this nation was founded on RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, which means freedom for muslims, jews, athiests, satanists, EVERYONE! Not just CHRISTIANS!!