In Youngstown, OH, Barack Obama, (presumptive) Democratic nominee for president, today stated:  "...for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, we must end the age of oil in our time."   Breaking our oil addiction is one of the greatest challenges our country will ever face.  Democrats can lead on this issue.  Success for doing so will depend on our committment to the cause.

"After Obama noted local gas prices,... (are) two and a half times what it cost when President Bush took office" - a member of the audience yelled out: "They had a plan!"
"They had a plan," agreed Obama. "Problem was it was the oil company plan. It was the gas company plan. We need a people plan! And that's why I'm running for president."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/ story?id=5518237&page=1

Change We Can Believe In!

In the world of this blog, many have an opinion they feel confident enought to share.  I am one of those many.  In a diary I posted earlier today,

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/7/30/1150 2/0233#commenttop

I called into question the level of discourse that occurs on this site.  The comments to that diary, and the "other diary" I cited, demonstrate the need to address this issue. A site with a reputation for its engagement in high minded discourse, needs to have the "high minded" reinforced, it appears .  Let me be clear, when I say "high minded discourse", I'm saying share a thought or idea that can be justified, a perspecitve of thought that I might not have personally considered, and lets discuss it.

To support my premise addressing the level of discourse on this site, I supplied documentation that mirrored, in part, a diarists contention that the prayer left at the Wailing Wall by Barack Obama may have been political:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/ 2008/07/29/obama-publicized-his-own-secr et-prayer-wailing-wall

Others pointed to media that refuted my documentation:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank /archive/2008/07/29/obama-vindicated.asp x

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As a contributor of thoughts and ideas to this site, I embrace thoughts and ideas that enlarge my scope of knowledge.  I have learned, to my detriment, that getting the information I require to be informed is not accomplished solely from our MSM.  MyDD, and the blogosphere, play a signifcant role in my ability to get thoughts and ideas that contribute to my undersanding of our world.  

Understanding the value of additonal resources for thoughts and ideas, I took umbrage at the level of "discontent" many displayed toward a diarist who wrote the following post:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/7/26/1456 48/849

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The United States Constitution is the longest serving doctrine of democracy in world history.  The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states:  "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed".  

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncont rol/p/2nd_amendment.htm

Barack Obama has stated, in response to a recently decided Supreme Court ruling, District of Columbia v. Heller, that struck down the District of Columbia's prohibition on handguns:  "(I) always believed that the 2nd Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-g uns-obama-mccainjun27,0,5693711.story

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Because there are issues that are important to Democrats, and that acutually effect all Americans, above and beyond all things PUMA, and in an effort to maximize bandwidth utilization, as well as the reputation of MyDD, a memo has been sent out by the super-secret PUMA police!  If you have not received your super-secret PUMA police memo, I will paraphrase.

1.  Only 5 PUMA diaries per day.
2.  PUMA diaries are stupid.
3   If you post a PUMA diary, then you must be __.  (see number 2)
4.  The administrators and participants of this site look forward to the discussion of substantive issues.

'nuff said, puleeze.

Barack Obama, when campaigning to become the Democratic nominee for president, stated he would withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.  "...Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) today vowed to end the war in Iraq in 16 months if he's elected.  Obama told a crowd in New Hamphire that he would 'refocus the military on the fight with al-Qaeda and engage in diplomacy with enemies of the United States.' according to the Union Leader newspaper."

http://news.aol.com/political-machine/20 07/11/13/barack-obama-will-end-iraq-war- in-16-months/

Since the conclusion of the Democratic primaries, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president has been accused of pivoting to the 'Right' by antagonists, while protagonists explain the 'nuance' of the Obama campaign's pledge to withdraw combat troops from Iraq.  "Barack Obama struggled Thursday to explain his plan to end the war in Iraq, calling a rare do-over news conference to insist that he was not softening his campaign pledge to withdraw all combat troops within 16 months of becoming president."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la- na-campaign4-2008jul04,0,7214812.story

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In an unannounced visit to Netroots Nation, Al Gore received a standing ovation as a welcome to the conference.  

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A video of former Vice President Al Gore's speech addressing America's energy crisis has been posted on this site's front page under the posting, "A Convenient Truth".  It is approximately 30 mins. long.  My favorite part is at the 21(ish) minute mark.  At this point, Al Gore speaks to McCains proposal to encourage oil drilling off Ameirca's coasts.  

If you haven't had an opportunity to view Gore's speech to address America's energy crisis, and, btw, the impact of the world's current energy sources on climate change, when your time permits, the video is readily available on this site.  IMO, this is a video every Democrat shoud watch.  Heck, every American should watch this video!

Thank you, Jerome.