Wake up America

Laura Bush Warns Media Of Sexism Blowback Against Sarah Palin Posted: 01 Sep 2008 12:43 PM CDT In an interview with Fox News from St. Paul, Laura Bush warns the media about potential blowback and overt sexism regarding Republican vice presidential pick, Sarah Palin. When questioned about whether Laura Bush thought that Sarah Palin would face sexism from the media the way Clinton supporters claim that Hilary Clinton did, Bush responded by saying, "I think that's a possibility," as reported by The Politico. Bush also goes on to warn the media, "The other side will have to be particularly careful. because that's something we all looked at." The First Lady went on to express pride in John McCain's vice presidential pick by stating, "I'm going to get what I wanted, which is to be able to vote for a Republican woman. People, as they get to know her, are going to be so impressed with her grit and her sensible judgment. She has shown how terrific women can be, and how strong women can be, in office." Clinton supporters as well as female Barack Obama supporters have already been expressing their frustration over how the media is already showing sexism against Sarah Palin as was reported days ago. Media Matters brought the issue of the recent sexism from news outlets being shown immediately after John McCain announce Palin as his running mate, with the following summary: Summary: With reports that Sen. John McCain had picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, sexist commentary on cable news followed. On CNN, John Roberts raised the question of whether as vice president, Palin would be able to devote the time necessary to care for her baby with Down syndrome, and on MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd suggested that Sen. Joe Biden bears the burden of having to adjust his behavior in a vice-presidential debate because of Palin's sex. Reactions from Clinton and Obama woman supporters came out fast and furiously, with some saying they would defend Palin against sexism whether they were going to vote for her and McCain or not, simply because it was the right thing to do, as show by Shakesville writer and Obama supporter, Melissa McEwan. Laura Bush's words and warnings echo what those pundits expressed then. Many noticed the sexism aimed at Clinton in the primaries, even those that did not support Clinton mentioned it and expressed dissatisfaction. Because the primaries were so recent, this is an issue that has Conservative, Liberal and Independent women watching the actions and attitudes of the media carefully. The media should take this warning to heart, stick to the issues, the policies and stay away from the gratuitous sexist comments and implications. If not, the blowback will hurt them and the Obama campaign as much as the Obamabots (those that run to every thread mentioning him to "defend" him, like obsessive, disciples) harm his campaign. .

McCain VP Pick Sarah Palin Says Teenage Daughter Is Pregnant- Bristol Not Trig's Mother Posted: 01 Sep 2008 11:11 AM CDT Yesterday we showed how the Daily Kos allowed their writers to create lies and falsify dates of photos in order to malign Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter, Bristol by claiming she was the mother of newly born Trig Palin. Come to find out, the Kossacks went off half cocked with half the story and added a few lies. Bristol is pregnant now and she is expected to marry the father, she is not Trig's mother as was already proven yesterday. The pathetic lie about Trig was egged on by Andrew Sullivan over at Atlantic.com. (Will not link to the pathetic idiot) Today I see people calling for a boycott of Sullivan as well as another DailyKos writer offering further debunking of the the original Kos slandered and saying: "OK, there is a visibly-pregnant Sarah Palin talking with a CBS 11 (Dallas Juneau) reporter at the Governor's meeting in Texas end of the Alaska legislative session. She clearly appears to be pregnant. Unless someone has counter evidence, we can drop this crap now. Yes, there are still some interesting questions, such as why she flew to Dallas and back when she was this pregnant, and why the Alaska Airlines crewmembers insisted that she was not visibly pregnant on the flight. Nevertheless, until this photo is debunked, we look stupid pushing this rumor. That is all. Topping it off, to show how insane they were for accusing the girl of being the real mother of Trig Palin, news comes out that Palin's daughter is, indeed, pregnant NOW, which accounts for the recent pictures and completely debunks the lie that Trig was somehow born to the 17 year old and Sarah Palin faked her own birthing of the baby. Reports say Bristol Palin will be marrying the father of the child she is carrying now. This report was shown on Fox News and I will provide a link as soon as one becomes available. "Headline under breaking news is "McCain VP Pick Sarah Palin Says Teenage Daughter Is Pregnant." Good for Sarah Palin for getting out in front of this, telling the truth about an intensely private issue and debunking the idiocy from Daily Kos. Reuters report here.. more to come as links become available. Sarah Palin and Husband Todd's statement, via Hot Air: "We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support. "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates." More from The New York Post. Further links to follow.... .

Republican National Convention Watch: Majority Of Events Canceled On Day One Posted: 01 Sep 2008 09:53 AM CDT Everything but what is legally necessary has been canceled for day one of the Republican Convention due to Hurricane Gustav and the impeding his on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The majority of activities planned for day one of the Republican convention have been suspended due to the impending hit upon the U.S Gulf Coast of Hurricane Gustav. John McCain has called on fellow Republicans to "take off our Republican hats and put on out American hats." The only scheduled business the Republican Convention will continue with is adopting its rules, electing its officers and adopting the party platform, according to a New York Times article. The Republican Convention will only be convened from 3 p.m Central to 5 p.m. Central to handle the essential business required. There is also a possibility that John McCain will not physically attend the convention at all and will simply give his acceptance speech via satellite. Mr. McCain toured the federal disaster relief center in Jackson, Miss., earlier in the day where he said the thrust of the convention would change "from a party event to a call to the nation for action" to help residents of the Gulf Coast affected by the approaching hurricane. "We must redirect our efforts from the really celebratory event of the nomination of president and vice president of our party to acting as all Americans," said Mr. McCain, appearing with his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi. "We have to go from a party event to a call to the nation for action, action to help our fellow citizens in this time of tragedy and disaster, action in the form of volunteering, donations, reaching out our hands and our hearts and our wallets to the people who are under such great threat from this great natural disaster. "I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary, throughout our convention if necessary, to act as Americans not Republicans, because America needs us now no matter whether we are Republican or Democrat." Both John McCain and Barack Obama have stated what their efforts will be to help the Hurricane potential hurricane victims, putting aside politics for the sake of doing what needs to be done for those that will be affected by the massive storm heading towards parts of America. President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have both canceled their scheduled speeches for Monday, to attend to their duties as they pertain to the areas affected by the hurricane that is bearing down. Other prominent politicians have also canceled their appearances. The 2008 Republican National Convention website issues a press release which brings other details about their plans and contingency plans by reporting that John McCain has recommended substantial changes to the convention programming and actions that will be taken to help with hurricane relief efforts. According to the McCain campaign manager Rick Davis "We are deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of the residents of the Gulf State region. Our top priority is to assist those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. This is not a time for politics or celebration; it is a time for us to come together as Americans and assist the residents of the Gulf States." Davis also discussed what the changes in the program will mean for the nomination process. "In order for the Republican Party to officially exist and for Senator McCain to qualify for the ballot, we are - by law - required to conduct specific official business. At this point, our program on Monday has been scaled back and will only include what party rules governing the nomination of our candidates for president and vice president require. We will perform the official business as required. In addition, we have set aside time to make delegates and Americans watching our proceedings at home aware of what they can do to assist in relief efforts designed to help those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav." Davis concluded: "At some point between Monday and Thursday evening, we will convene once again to complete the activities needed to qualify Senator McCain and Governor Palin for the ballot in all 50 states. Beyond that, all we can say is that we will monitor what is happening and make decisions about other convention business as details become available." Robert M. "Mike" Duncan who is the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, issues a statement saying "The safety and well-being of the people of the Gulf States remains our top concern. We are doing everything we can on the ground in Minneapolis-Saint Paul to ensure that the delegations affected by this storm have the resources and information that they need. As Senator McCain said this morning, we must redirect our attention and efforts. We will act as Americans - not Republicans - to help our fellow citizens in need." Depending on the circumstances and damage that Hurricane Gustav causes, the Republican officials in charge of the GOP Convention will determine how the remaining days of the scheduled events run, but it is expected that the whole convention will focus on two things at this point. One: Hurricane Gustav and relief efforts to help states and victims that suffer from the damage the storm is likely to cause. Two: The legal, technical aspects of making sure they meet the legal requirements necessary to have John McCain and Sarah Palin's names on the November ballot. Everything else is up in the air until Gustav hits and determinations are made as to what the victims will need. Republicans and Democrats alike have canceled planned events that were scheduled for the week ahead in deference to the potential damage Gustav will reign down upon the Gulf Coast and the states affected. .

Gustav Downgraded To Category 2 And Starts Pounding Gulf Coast Posted: 01 Sep 2008 09:50 AM CDT The hardest hit area will be just West of New Orleans, saving it from the highest of storm surges but still having the ability to do major damage. The effects of this powerful storm ar being felt early Monday and the Category 2 starts pounding the Gulf. The winds have slowed to 110 miles and hour, still a very powerful storm, listed as a category 2 and some weakening should be seen when the eye hits ground. The Army Corps of Engineers believes this storm will not cause water to overflow from the New Orleans levee system as it did three years ago to put New Orleans under water according to The New York Times. The rainfall from the storm will cause flooding in the opinion of Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp, the commanding general for the corps, because of city's unique location which puts most of New Orleans below water level. To give people who have never been to New Orleans something to visualize, they compare it with a bathtub. Nearly two million people from Texas to Alabama fled the coast on Sunday, anticipating a storm that could rival Hurricane Katrina in its destructive power, and that could test the fragile flood defenses of New Orleans. "Hurricane force winds are moving on shore as we speak," Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center, said on CNN early Monday morning. In listening to news reports last night and again this morning, one specific theme came clear from reporters that covered Hurricane Katrina three years ago as well as multiple other storms throughout the years. Geraldo Rivera said last night, there is no comparison and while there was chaos during Katrina, the amount of preparation, efficiency, selflessness, competence and compassion that was shown on every level during the evacuation of New Orleans for Gustav, made comparing the two storms and how the local officials handled them, like night and day. Other reports on other channels echoed those sentiments. Reported on earlier by Bob Ewing, Canadian C-17 aircraft traveled New Orleans and helped transport medically vulnerable people to safety. Winds starting pounding the Gulf early this morning and the storm itself is expected to make landfall, meaning the eye of the storm will touch land, by noon today from what is forecasted. Although almost 2 million people did heed warnings and evacuated the areas in danger, there were some that made a decision to stay. Coast Guard rescue workers are preparing to search where possible to see if there are people in need. Tornado warnings were issued Monday morning for parts of Louisiana, southern Mississippi, northwestern Florida and southwestern Alabama as Gustav moved through the region, according to the National Weather Service. Readers can find current watches, warnings and advisories for Louisiana Issued by the National Weather Service on this page. [Update] Two barges have broken free and are now posing a danger as they pound into the sewage storage and television is showing a person stranded in the water with a life jacket on and they are filming him holding onto a lifeline and swimming, Army Corps of Engineers threw the lifeline and saved him bringing him on board. The man that was in the water was a part of the Army Corps of Engineers, but no word as to why he jumped into the water in the first place, but he is alright and out of the flowing water. ABC is reporting that leaking levees are worrying FEMA. Photos of Gustav's landfall provided at Fox. .

"If those pics are real then the whole Dem party ought to be ashamed." Posted: 01 Sep 2008 01:03 AM CDT Obama Convention throw US Flags in the Trash ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A note from Radarsite: Almost immediately after this article posted, Radarsite was beiseiged with hits from one particular website: The Hillary Clinton Forum. By six o'clock this evening we had received over 2,000 hits, mostly from this site. Obviously, this article hit a sensitive nerve with the Dems. Our article was picked up and subsequently generated a long - two pages long, so far -- comments thread. And, to their credit, many of the commenters have indeed expressed appropriate outrage. But, as might be expected with any controversial topic such as this, some readers just dismissed it as minor and unimportant. And, just as predictably, many of their readers blamed the Obama people for a lack of patriotism and a cynical disregard of American tradition. Hoping, it seems, to distance themselves from this blatantly unpatriotic image. I did try to register to join the discussion, but was advised that the Registration was closed. Therefore, in response to their enlightening responses I am crossposting just a small segment of these anguished comments. I have deleted the commenter's names and info, and I hope that by doing so I have avoided crossing some ethical Internet guidelines. Unlike the Republicans, the Dems are vulnerable on the patriotism issue and they know it. They have obstructed almost every one of our efforts to prosecute the GWOT effectively and to protect Americans here at home. To me, these comments show an acute awareness of this vulnerability, and a real concern for how this convention outrage might effect their chances in November. Read their comments and decide for yourself just how vulnerable they really are. Here they are: --------------------------------------------------------------------- If those pics are real then the whole Dem party ought to be ashamed. This is outrageous, and if I remember right actually illegal. Does anyone know about the laws regarding the flag, because I am 99% sure that that is illegal. -------------------------------------------------------------- Yes Pass around ask why they would not have given them to supporters ?More Prroof of disrespect of the United states of America and foolish wasting of funds ! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Read the rest at Radarsite:

Risks Of Reporting Rumor As News About Sarah Palin's Baby Trig and Daughter Bristol Posted: 31 Aug 2008 07:30 PM CDT [Update] News reports show that Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant now, will be marrying the father and McCain knew about it - Debunking conclusively the lies of DailyKos in saying Bristol Palin was the mother of Sarah Palin's child, Trig. When will Kos and Democrats learn to do their homework and get the facts before going off half cocked? Answer: NEVER. [Update below] Kos writer debunks the original Kos liar and provides photo of Sarah Palin pregnant. See below original post. The risk of reporting rumor as news without doing the proper research and homework for an article, is embarrassment when the facts are eventually revealed. This is evidenced by recent reports about Sarah Palin's baby, Trig and daughter, Bristol. Rumor ran rampant about Sarah Palin, her child Trig and her daughter Bristol. The rumors started with a popular liberal website, Daily KoS, and certain media outlets touched on them. The reports focused on pictures of Republican vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, showing that she didn't appear to be pregnant, then the story followed with their "proof" that the baby was her daughter's, Bristol Palin. They "proved" her daughter had missed time at school and then they produced pictures of her daughter which they claimed showed her to be "pregnant." Specifically the reports focused on the 17 year olds stomach, with the rumor perpetuated by the Daily KoS website and others that reported on the rumors. The photo that KoS used and claimed was taken on March 9, 2008, was taken in Wasilla, Alaska in 2006. The photo was taken by Lester, from the Anchorage Daily News. (URL linked above to the Anchorage Daily News photo gallery) KoS then provided photos from 2008 which showed the same type of belly fat. (Hat Tip To TownHall) Sarah Palin at home with her family in Wasilla, Alaska in 2006. From left is Piper, 5, husband Todd, Willow, 12, and at right is Bristol, 16. Not pictured is Palin's son Track, 17. Trig Palin was born in 2008. Baby Trig Palin, a Downs Syndrome baby, was born on April 18, 2008. No matter how you do the math, there is no way a girl can be pregnant from 2006 to April of 2008. Daily KoS and those that reported on the speculated rumor, without doing their homework and just repeating the rumor, all have now maligned a 17 year old girl, her mother who is the vice presidential running mate on the Republican ticket and their whole family. I hope some sort of legal action can be taken against KoS and anyone else that perpetuated this disgusting rumor, deliberately trying to destroy a young girls life for political reasons. [Update] Additional photos of Sarah Palin while pregnant. ABC photo taken February 10, 2008: March, ADN: Oh my, someone who actually saw her pregnant as well. Of course I had to check out the "Hottest Governor in the US" and quickly turned to see her pregnant (she has since had her baby) with bags and daughter in tote. Then it struck me as odd. Why is the Governor of Alaska in the airport and preparing to get onto my commercial flight? I questioned PolarTRECer Craig Kasemodel an Alaskan resident. He let me know that Governor Palin sold the corporate jet after securing her official Governor position. When are people going to learn that Kossacks enjoy lying to get attention? UPDATE-- Looks like the lies have even weighed on other members of the Kos community, with another Kos writer provided an undoubtedly pregnant Sarah Palin picture and telling the Kos community "Unless someone has counter evidence, we can drop this crap now. Yes, there are still some interesting questions, such as why she flew to Dallas and back when she was this pregnant, and why the Alaska Airlines crewmembers insisted that she was not visibly pregnant on the flight. Nevertheless, until this photo is debunked, we look stupid pushing this rumor. That is all." Kudos for a member of Kos that understands what this has done and how disgusting the spread of an unfounded rumor is. End Update .

If They Are In the Tank, Sink the Tank! Posted: 31 Aug 2008 04:18 PM CDT Cross-posted from Faultline USA It would appear that far left NBC has put the full court press on by openly embracing their leftist bias in their drive against fairness and balance in media reporting. I suspect this might be part of a larger lefty plan to force the reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine, which most conservative talk show hosts say would be the end of conservative talk radio. According to left-leaning Wikipedia: "(FCC) that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was (in the FCC's view) honest, equitable, and balanced. The United States Supreme Court has upheld the Commission's general right to enforce such a policy where channels are limited, but the courts have generally not considered that the FCC is obliged to do so.[1] The FCC has since withdrawn the Fairness Doctrine, prompting some to urge its reintroduction through either Commission policy or Congressional legislation. After it was widely acknowledged that McCain won the 'Rick Warren' Saddleback Presidential Forum on Faith in mid August, the far left began suggesting that McCain may not have been in the "cone of silence" and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis asked for a meeting with Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, to protest what the campaign called signs that the network is "abandoning non-partisan coverage of the presidential race." Case in point: "NBC's Andrea Mitchell on "Meet the Press" questioning whether McCain might have gotten a heads-up on some of the questions that were asked of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who was the first candidate to be interviewed Saturday night by Pastor Rick Warren at a presidential forum on faith. Leftist Bias forced Monica Crowley off MSNBC Excerpt from Fox News Contributor Monica Crowley with Bill O'Reilly on 8/29/08 Right. Well, as you mentioned, I spent two years at MSNBC in 2005, 2006. And during that time, they made an executive decision to take that network to the left, which of course left no place for me, which is why I'm back on FOX News. But I will say that in that time period, they decided that they were going to try to take on FOX News on an ideological — as an ideological counterpoint. And so they stocked their entire primetime lineup and during the day as well with very left-wing voices. . . NBC to 'gay' journalists: 'Your victories are our victories' from the files of "objective media" by Brian Fitzpatrick - 8/29/2008 - OneNewsNow.com It's spelled NLGJA, but they pronounce it "Negligee." The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) just held its annual convention here in Washington, DC, attracting hundreds of journalists – and ringing endorsements – from virtually every major publication and broadcaster in the news media. In a full-page ad in the convention program, NBC Universal declared it is "proud to support NLGJA," under the bold headline: "YOUR VICTORIES ARE OUR VICTORIES." After listening to speaker after speaker express hatred and contempt for political and religious conservatives while plotting how to advance the homosexual activist agenda through journalism, I'm left wondering whether Americans know the extent of the media's bias on homosexual issues. Do they know that the news media have thrown themselves fully behind the gay rights movement? Every major news organization sponsored the convention, bought space in the program, or had recruiting booths. . . Acknowledging and defending journalism's overly extensive coverage of Obama, Washington Post reporter Paul Farh explains the future of journalism in a July "American Journalism Review" (AJR) article "In The Tank?". It's unrealistic, even undesirable, to expect the candidates to receive roughly the same number of stories or minutes of airtime. . . Undesirable? Really? What about credibility? We're fast approaching zero credibility. In a national survey conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, in January, only 19.6 percent of respondents said they believed "all or most" reporting. According to Farh, the era of celebrity journalists has only just begun. (S. Robert) Lichter, president of George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, believes that some of the public's antipathy toward the press has been fueled over the past few decades by the rise of the "celebrity journalist," the reporter who covers the story, then gets on television to tell viewers what to think about it. The article ends with Lichter's positive assessment of the grim future of journalism. Here's the skinny: Reporters will not leave their personal biases at home. . . .Despite efforts to hold on to textbook notions of "objective" reporting, he says, journalistic norms have been in flux for several decades, driven by technological, economic and historic forces. The future promises only more of this. Instead of straightforward descriptive reporting, he says, the news will become more like what it has been becoming for years: More interpretive, more personal, more subjective and more opinionated. "You can't put this genie back in its bottle – there never was a bottle," he says. "There's going to be a diffusion of viewpoints. People are going to find it easier than ever to find one viewpoint they like and will stick with that. Here's what the FCC has to say about News distortion. News Distortion. The Commission often receives complaints concerning broadcast journalism, such as allegations that stations have aired inaccurate or one-sided news reports or comments, covered stories inadequately, or overly dramatized the events that they cover. For the reasons noted above, the Commission generally will not intervene in such cases because it would be inconsistent with the First Amendment to replace the journalistic judgment of licensees with our own. However, as public trustees, broadcast licensees may not intentionally distort the news: the FCC has stated that "rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest." The Commission will investigate a station for news distortion if it receives documented evidence of such rigging or slanting, such as testimony or other documentation, from individuals with direct personal knowledge that a licensee or its management engaged in the intentional falsification of the news. Of particular concern would be evidence of the direction to employees from station management to falsify the news. However, absent such a compelling showing, the Commission will not intervene. For additional information about news distortion, see http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/journalism.html. Here's how to file a complaint about News Distortion with the FCC You can file your complaint using the on-line complaint Form 2000E found on the FCC Web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html. You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov; calling -888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/journalism.html PHONE: Our Consumer & Mediation Specialists are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET to answer your questions and assist you in filing a complaint. Call toll-free at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY. Read the Notice regarding formal complaints Basically be aware that the complainant's name may be made public. For all the other methods, download/print the complaint form: ›› Form 2000E English (PDF) ›› Form 2000E Español (PDF) Technorati Tags: NBC,FCC,News distortion,bias,media,AJR,American Journalism Review,Monica Crowley,Bill O'Reilly .

John McCain And Barack Obama Focus On Hurricane Gustav Posted: 31 Aug 2008 02:01 PM CDT One of the things that makes America great is the way that many Americans rally to the aide of others in trouble. When Hurricane Andrew hit so many years ago in Florida, devastating the city, I lived there at the time and I saw strangers helping each other, reaching out to each other in small and large ways. Katrina showed some of that same basic human spirit with people in boats, going house to house to help save their neighbors and even those they had never met. Today we see that even political opponents can put away their swords, stop fighting and rally to help Americans in trouble. John McCain and Barack Obama take time out from political bickering to both focus on Hurricane Gustav and helping the areas most in danger of the destructive storm heading their way. John McCain has ordered Convention changes as reported by the Associated Press, to "redirect" efforts and goals of the Republican Convention as he vows to focus on the massive Hurricane barreling towards the U.S. Gulf Coast. McCain states, "I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary throughout our convention, we will act as Americans and not as Republicans because America needs us now." He continued on to tell reporters, "We must redirect our efforts from the really celebratory event of the nomination of the president and vice president of our party to acting as all Americans." The McCain campaign has also chartered a DC-9 jetliner to bring any delegates from St. Paul to their home states to face the problems which lies ahead. As reported yesterday, one of the contingency plans for the worst case scenario, made by the McCain campaign was to turn Republicans staying for the Convention into Red Cross workers and creating some type of "giant hurricane relief effort" by collecting food and goods as well as donations for the potential victims of the storm. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour invited McCain to tour the Mississippi area to see the preparations that were being made but he will not be going to Louisiana for fear of a high profile visit disturbing the preparations that were being made in advance to the storm. Rudy Giuliani, former Republican presidential candidate and former Mayor of New York, who is due to deliver the keynote address at the Convention says, "We have to make sure the focus is on the South, on Gustav, make sure that all of the resources are there, and that anything that is done with regard to the convention doesn't take anything away from that and is done in a serious way." Barack Obama is also stepping up to the plate and offering to tap into his donors and volunteers to ask them to help the victims of the fast approaching storm. Those donations could include cash, goods and labor. Obama tells reporters, "I think we can get tons of volunteers to travel down there if it becomes necessary. I think we can activate an e-mail list of a couple of million people who want to give back." More evidence of both campaigns taking a break from their political opposition to each other and focusing on helping the portions of America in danger, on the Republican side, are the options of altering the convention to focus more on the oncoming storm, limiting events and speakers to reflect their awareness of the storm, shortening the convention, trimming back pep-rally type segments and focusing on more public service elements. The Convention itself will not be totally canceled in order to allow the bare minimum to take the formal steps to make sure McCain is nominated and can get on the ballot legally. On the Democratic side, they too are scaling down their planned events for the Republican Convention in St. Paul, such as canceling their "More of the Same" rally that had been scheduled for Monday night, with Democratic party spokesmen Brad Woodhouse saying "the tone of the Democratic rapid response effort would depend on the changes Republicans make in their convention program." If you would like to know how you can help or you have a loved on in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana or Texas, go to the Red Cross page set up to tell the public what is needed and to the Louisiana's Governor's state website. .

You are subscribed to email updates from Wake up America To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of Wake up America in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: Wake up America, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610