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!!

The Local State Representative Race

I definitely blog in Williamsport, about Williamsport, FOR Williamsport! I moved to Williamsport about 6 years ago and I have been consistently disappointed with the political landscape here. Why is it that a Republican Mayor is so scared about party politics that he endorses a Republican candidate for State Representative who beat his wife and had a restraining order against him? This makes no sense, I wasn't able to vote in the primaries but on the Republican side I liked Rebecca Burke and I'm hoping that she comes public and endorses Mirabito!

Do the owners all of these houses I pass with Dave Huffman signs out front know what kind of person Dave Huffman REALLY is?! I'm a republican and a christian and I can not in good conscious vote for a coward who physically and verbally abused his wife!
When I heard about Dave Huffman's past I didn't believe it at first, but then I did my own research and was astonished at what I found. Dave Huffman owns no property in Lycoming County, is UNEMPLOYED, is a Domestic Abuser, and is NOT a Christian in action, only words. Not to mention, he has repeatedly stated that he will never vote for a tax increase which in today's economic situation is an ill-advised and ignorant position to take. How can an underfunded education system rely on someone who will blindly vote no at every chance he can? I'm not talking about paying teachers, but FUNDING EDUCATION! You cut a property tax to give the taxpayer relief, then you need to use a tax increase somewhere else to maintain education funding!

The biggest problem I have is the subterfuge being used by those who Dave Huffman has surrounded himself with in this election. Charles Messner, Jamie Gilbert, Jason Fetter, and Michael Fetzer have been making statements in the virtual newsroom and/or letters to the editor as though they are just casually interacting with Dave Huffman when in all reality they are campaigners for Dave Huffman. Isn't that kind of subterfuge, while legal, not very ethical? I would assume that they know of Dave Huffman's past transgressions and have still chosen to support him. As far as I can tell Dave Huffman is a slightly unstable, unethical, and ignorant little man and he and his supporters should be held accountable to their actions.

And Mr. Fetter, next time you choose to not teach your Pennsylvania College of Technology class and have Dave Huffman in to substitute for you, make sure you accept responsibility for him telling students to vote for him like he did this past April. I had friends who were in those Marketing classes.

Please vote for Rick Mirabito, a man who won't beat his wife, who will not intimidate people in a retirement community, who will not intimidate college students, and who will NOT blindly vote NO simply because a tax is presented.