Monday, June 30, 2008

Red Light--Green Light.

Dear Public,

Barack Obama is a wonderful breath of fresh air. With that said, he is still a politician who has a career and millions of dollars to worry about. Please stop glorifying him because in the end, he will end up voting on things that many of his supporters will disagree with. This could lead to disillusionment. Which would be followed by a certain dinner-style repetitive debate-style dialogue which might make my head spontaneously explode.

That's all.

Sincerely,

Agent Ska

Marsha Schenley Marsha

Is it just me or does the very mention of the word "Schenley" make you want to beat your head against a wall just to make the whining (from all sides) stop?

I stopped caring long ago. Buildings never matter as much to me as people. I think we should get out the chainsaws to make more Pgh buildings accessible to our sisters and brothers who rely on assistive devices, historic designations be damned. I wish a fraction of the effort that has gone into this debate would be constructively channeled into working with other City high schools to get their parents fired up about academics, attendance, safety, outcomes, etc. Maybe dispersing the Schenley students would help spread that good parenting karma around a bit?

Aside: is it Marsha Brady or Marcia Brady?

Saturday, June 28, 2008

City Council showdown

City Councilman Bruce Kraus: “I just want to reiterate that the picture of this empty chair at this table and the precedent that we are sending here today. We had a conversation in your office, Mr. Specter, and I told you this is not about the money [for the legal fees]. This can be paid. This is about the message that we set. We were the minority, having gone out to fight something that was blatantly illegal. It was found to be blatantly illegal. We did do the right thing. Bodies piled up in that hallway, people were fired and permits were pulled because we stood up and we did what was in the best interest of the people of the City of Pittsburgh. And because we did that, and because we are now voting to have our legal bills paid, Reverend Burgess is not in this seat because of the fear that was set. The message of fear that…. If you DO stand up and you do try to do the right thing, not only will we hang the legal bills around YOUR NECK for having done it, but we may very well remove you from office for having stood up for the right thing. (Bolded caps means raised voice) For what was PROVEN to be BLATANTLY AND GROSSLY ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR that WE FOUGHT. If you want to send a message to the people of the City of Pittsburgh that if their elected officials are actually ETHICAL and STAND UP for what is right, that we will not only work toward but FIGHT to HANG THOSE LEGAL BILLS AROUND YOUR NECK and remove you from office. YOU send that message today. I challenge this body to send that message today.”

What a great quote.

Read Char's entire post here.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

AN E-MAIL

From Move On and Elizabeth Edwards:

We need to elect more progressive women in Congress in 2008. MoveOn is working with EMILY's List to highlight some great candidates like Kay Hagan, a current state senator in my home state of North Carolina. As a critical fund-raising deadline approaches, can you help support Kay Hagan and other strong Democratic women?

Chip in today here!

Great News!

MoveOn members in Maryland's 4th district endorsed and fought for Donna Edwards in her primary election against Al Wynn—a Democrat who voted for the war and had ties to special interests. On June 19th, Donna Edwards was sworn into Congress. This is a great victory for progressives!


Dear MoveOn member,

Health care is an issue that is really close to my heart. And I know it matters to a lot of Americans, particularly mothers. But time and again, Republicans have blocked progress on expanding health care—most recently the expansion of the children's health insurance program—and on so many other important issues.

That's why we need to elect more progressive women in Congress in 2008, to stand with President Obama on healthcare and other key issues.

MoveOn is working with EMILY's List to highlight some great candidates like Kay Hagan, a legislator in my home state of North Carolina who is running for U.S. Senate. It is a race that the pundits and politicos had previously ignored, but no longer: Last week the Washington Post rated it as one of the most winnable Senate races for Democrats in the country.

With a critical deadline for candidate fund-raising next Monday, can you help support Kay Hagan and other strong Democratic women like Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Carol Shea-Porter from New Hampshire? All three women are running in key battleground states, and the voters they bring to the polls will also help us take the White House. Click here to chip in $25 to their campaigns today:


EMILY's List supports pro-choice Democratic women for office. The organization is a great ally and is supporting these and other strong progressive candidates.

Here's more detail on each of these spectacular women:

After five terms in the North Carolina State Senate, Kay Hagan is ready to move on to the US Senate. But first, she has to beat Sen. Elizabeth Dole this fall. Hagan has led the fight for children's healthcare in our home state. In the US Senate, Kay wants to tackle climate change and high gas prices. Her opponent, Elizabeth Dole, has a $3 million war chest, and Hagan is going to need every penny she can raise in order to beat her and change this seat from one that consistently votes conservatively to one that consistently votes progressively.


When Kay wins, we will be that much closer to building a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. And the odds are in our favor: Republicans are defending 23 seats in competitive races—almost two-thirds of the races up for grabs—which means we'll have an edge as we attempt to build a progressive majority.

We need Jeanne Shaheen to represent New Hampshire—and all of us—in the United States Senate too. Jeanne is the former Governor of New Hampshire; in fact she was the first woman ever elected to that office. Now she wants to blaze the trail again and become the first-ever woman elected senator from the state. The only thing standing in her way is incumbent Republican senator, John Sununu. Jeanne will be a fantastic senator, but we have to get her elected first.

Finally, there is the incredible Representative Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, the best example I know of the kind of women we can elect if we work together from the grassroots. When she was still in high school a counselor told Carol she should forget about trying to make it to college and enroll in secretarial school.

Instead, she became the first woman ever elected to Congress from New Hampshire in 2006, handily beating a Republican incumbent who was seen as invincible. During her short time in Congress, Shea-Porter has been a vocal opponent to the war in Iraq. This is her first reelection campaign, and she's in a tough race. But Carol Shea-Porter has more than earned our support—we need to keep her in Congress.

Not only can you help make sure each of these women wins in her race, but you will also be helping to turn out more votes in important presidential battleground states. Can you chip in $25 to help elect these three women, each of whom can help us lead the House and Senate in a progressive direction? Click here to donate:

Donate Here.

Today, out of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, there are only seventy-one women. And only sixteen out of one hundred members of the Senate are women. 3 When will our voices be heard? They will be heard when we act together to get progressive women elected. With your help we can make sure that these progressive women's voices are heard in Washington this fall, voices that will speak out against the war and for health care and other progressive priorities.

Thank you.

–Elizabeth Edwards

P.S. You can learn more about EMILY's List and the great work they're doing for progressive women candidates at www.emilyslist.org

Sources:

1."The Line: When a Small Loss Is Your 'Best Case Scenario," The Fix: Washington Post Political blog, June 13th, 2008.


2."Carol Shea-Porter's unusual journey to U.S. Congress," Associated Press, November 8, 2006


3."Women Serving in the 110th Congress 2007-09," Center for American Women and Politics,


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION (here)
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Sex and the City + More

I saw the Sex and the City movie on Friday. I had (and still have) really mixed feelings about it. I don't quite know how to sort them out.

Earlier last week, I had been at the pool, enjoying time off from work. I sat there in the sun with my iPod and the newest issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. I know, I know. I can't really justify reading Cosmopolitan except that it's annoyingly alluring and there are a lot of demographic polls! Anyways, as I read through the magazine, I began to wonder, does anyone actually care about anyone in relationships anymore? All I see anymore is, "how to know if he/she is cheating", "how to know if you are a booty call", etc. People get married and you hear, "Well there's a 50% chance things won't work, anyways." I can only imagine what anthropologists will say in 100 years.

I got online the night after being at the pool and began to quiz my guy friends. I needed reassurance mostly. I don't mean the, "Yes, you will find Mr. Right and get married and settle down" kind of reassurance. I needed the, "people can actually care about and like each other in relationships" reassurance. I felt kind of bad, as it was probably the most depressing beginning to a conversation they had heard in awhile. Well, it was, as they confirmed.

They did reassure me. In fact, they seemed confused. "Isn't that why people date each other?" "Don't you think the people who write those articles just like to mess around?". K. Good. This is very good. Thank you.

My generation has a whole slew of relationship options and frankly, it's terribly confusing. I don't usually need people to tell me what to think about things but I find myself reading articles explaining relationships these days. Mainly, because I am so confused. One guy wrote an article for the New York Times about it recently here. I came back from a date one night when one of my friends said, "you went on a date? Like, a real date?" "uh, yeah?" "Wow, I haven't been on a real date in um. a long time." I just kinda stood there unsure of what to say. Too many possible responses, too many ideas attached to that to be able to come up with something in that 5-20 second period of time. I took off my shoes and muttered something about finding food. I went into the kitchen in search of an orange and maybe an answer. I found an apple, but no answer. I think this is the reason women like Sex and the City-- they address these very issues. They might not give answers, but they bring them up.

I have found myself approaching my friend, who is about 5-6 years older than me, with many relationship questions. "What does this mean?" "What should I do?". He's pretty good at answering questions. But there are a couple of things he always reminds me about:

-people have all kinds of relationships with each other.

-Do you want to?

-You don't have to talk to them.

As I sat there, watching Sex and the City, I had all of these ideas floating around in my head. Ideas, feelings, questions, and other label-less (sp? is this a word?) things going on. Would this movie answer any of this?

The movie was more serious than I had expected. It addressed some serious problems that can happen in relationships and/or marriages. Did I want to hear about these real and serious problems? Or did I want to watch the fantasy world I had come to enjoy when watching the TV episodes? I'm not exactly sure. However, it did say almost the same thing that my friend told me. People have all kinds of relationships and you should really think about if you want to do something, instead of what other people think you should do.

Peace.

-Agent Ska-

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Check this out.

You go Girl! WGF supports Representative Bennington’s efforts to protect victim’s rights.

Representative Lisa Bennignton has taken some courageous efforts this week to protect the rights of sexual assault victims and we want to say – kudos, you go girl! – and encourage you to send her a supportive note too! Here is what’s happening. Representative Bennington is sponsoring a bill, HB 1137, which would give child sexual abuse victims more time to seek legal action against their assailants. However, House Judiciary Chairman Representative Tom Caltagirone has stated that he will not let House Bill 1137 move forward. So, in response, Representative Bennington has added an “obstacle” amendment to a bill by Rep. Caltagirone which he cares deeply about.

Rep. Caltagirone’s bill mandates that certain canine procedures be performed by veterinarians. Rep. Bennington has added an amendment to that bill which says that in an effort to further protect animal rights, the legislature would make boiling live lobsters illegal. While Representative Bennigton does not expect the bill to pass as is, her intention was to raise awareness to the fact that State Representatives should care at least as much for child victims of sexual assault, as they do for their canines.

This is not the first time that Bennington has stood up for victims. She proposed a bill that would have required hospitals to inform rape victims about the availability of emergency contraception. Unfortunately, the bill never reached the full House for vote. But we wanted to celebrate her courageous efforts on behalf of women and children. They remind us once again why it is so crucial for more women to run and become elected to public office.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

"She Should Run" Roll Call

I'm on the email list for a group called, "She Should Run". I got a message from the group on facebook today.

Hi there,

Thank you for supporting the She Should Run program on Facebook! She Should Run has been such a great success that we are redoubling our efforts to find more excellent pro-choice women to run for office. We have a goal of reaching 1,500 new nominations. We know that we can surpass this goal, but we’ll need your help.

Do you know a woman who would be a great public leader? How about yourself?

Nominate an outstanding pro-choice woman to run for office at http://www.sheshouldrun.com.

It only takes a minute to make a nomination, but it will be a lifelong inspiration for the woman whom you nominate.

Nominate an outstanding pro-choice woman to run for office at

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Port Authority looking for input!


Port Authority to Hold Open House Meetings on Transit Development Plan

View Current Releases

Monday, June 09, 2008

Pittsburgh, PA - As a component of the Port Authority’s Connect ’09 initiative, Port Authority is currently conducting a historic study that will result in a complete redesign of its current transit system. The Transit Development Plan (TDP) is intended to revitalize the Port Authority’s bus service – to help the service better match current demand, to make it simpler, faster, more direct, and to implement innovative practices and services.

In November 2007, Port Authority hired Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates to conduct the Transit Development Plan (TDP). The Project Team began with interviews of key stakeholders followed by an unprecedented level of data collection—taking inventory of the bus routes, counting riders, gathering and analyzing information on employment and residential areas in Allegheny County, along with other demographic trends. Now it is the public’s turn to be heard.

The public is invited to attend any one of six public open houses in June to be held all around AlleghenyCounty. The open houses will be informal gatherings where the public can review information at their leisure, ask questions, and provide feedback on their transit needs and what the study has discovered thus far.

In addition to the open houses, Port Authority will be visiting many communities over the summer to provide more opportunities for the public to learn about the TDP and provide input into the study.

The schedule for the June Open Houses is as follows:

Click for the locations and times here.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Shaler Teens parylay Girls as Grantmakers into National Recognition

From today's Post-Gazette, three local teens have been honored with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for public service for their work to promote awareness of teen sexual violence.

Shocked to learn that one in four girls will be raped or sexually assaulted by their first year of college, the teens used a $2,500 grant from the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers program to organize an assembly alerting girls to the dangers of sexual violence.

Congrats to Erin Drischler, Jackie Betz and Megan Neuf. And congrats to the Girls as Grantmakers project of the Women & Girls Foundation for being part of a great outcome.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Celebrate!

We just passed the 500 mark for number of posts! We are now at 503!

Give me a pound! Where's Michelle Obama at?

-Agent Ska-

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Welcome, Laura!

I'd like to welcome Laura from the blog, "Cake and Anarchy"! What a great blog name! Welcome!

-Agent Ska and the Pittsburgh Women's Blogger Society-

It is with great sadness that I say

You will be dearly missed, Tim Russert. Rest in Peace.

Forget Bill Clinton's affairs!

Next up! John McCain's extramarital affairs.

"...But when McCain returned to America in 1973 to a fanfare of publicity and a handshake from Richard Nixon, he discovered his wife had been disfigured in a terrible car crash three years earlier. Her car had skidded on icy roads into a telegraph pole on Christmas Eve, 1969. Her pelvis and one arm were shattered by the impact and she suffered massive internal injuries.

When Carol was discharged from hospital after six months of life-saving surgery, the prognosis was bleak. In order to save her legs, surgeons

had been forced to cut away huge sections of shattered bone, taking with it her tall, willowy figure. She was confined to a wheelchair and was forced to use a catheter.

Through sheer hard work, Carol learned to walk again. But when John McCain came home from Vietnam, she had gained a lot of weight and bore little resemblance to her old self."

--snip--

"Some of McCain’s acquaintances are less forgiving, however. They portray the politician as a self-centred womaniser who effectively abandoned his crippled wife to ‘play the field’. They accuse him of finally settling on Cindy, a former rodeo beauty queen, for financial reasons."

The Rest Here.

So much for character.

-Agent Ska-

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A SECOND QUESTION:

what 1 thing do you think is the best thing
that works well for the city?

Friday, June 13, 2008

A QUESTION :

what is the number one problem for the city?

i just thought i'd toss this out and ask you to think about it and give the #1.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Just think about it.

The Coolest 2012 Presidential Team

Michelle Obama for President

Sandra Day O'Connor for Vice-President



-Agent Ska-

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Women and Diminutives

I hate when people call me Susie. Well, I hate when people call me Susie without my permission. OK, what I really hate is when someone calls me Susie after I have introduced myself as either Sue or Susan. To be fair, it also annoys me when people ignore the "Hi, I'm Sue Kerr" and call me Susan. It feels dismissive as well as presuming an intimacy that can't possibly exist if I just told you my name 20 seconds ago.

I'll avoid a long discourse on my personal name story because I'm about to flip to the other side of the coin.

It really irks me when I meet grown women who use a diminutive. I'm probably projecting about $2500 in therapist copayments onto them, but it just really gets under my skin. If you tell me your name is Candi with a heart over the i and we have to work on a project, I'm going to call you that and spell your name correctly in email, but I won't like it if I know your name isn't really Candi. If I know you have a choice and you choose the heart. It feels like you are selling the rest of us out. Like women who take their husbands married names. I know it is supposed to be about choices, but some choices seem more selfish than others, don't they?

Maybe I'm biased b/c I have multiple name options: my "real" name of Susan, my family/childhoold friend name of Susie and my everybody else in the world name of Sue. Plus, variations on those. I have a flexi-name. Not everyone is so blessed.

Or maybe I'm biased b/c I have been on the receiving end of people trying to dismiss or invalidate me by using the name Susie to reduce me from woman to girl. Too many times. Let's not even get into how many rock/pop songs about girls and boys named Sue have been crooned in my vicinity. Perhaps being on the receiving end makes me hyper-sensitive to this subtle tool/weapon.

Why did I bring this up? Just perusing the evening news and noting how many women have names ending in "y" or "ie" as opposed to the number of men going by Billy when talking with KDKA.

Plus, I went to college with a young woman nicknamed Muffin. I had to make doortags for someone named Muffin. It was scarring.

O'Connor's Legacy Fading on Supreme Court

"WASHINGTON — When retired justice Sandra Day O'Connor visited Capitol Hill
recently to speak publicly about her husband's Alzheimer's, she was greeted as a
national hero. Senators lauded her historic place as the first woman on the
Supreme Court and the justice whose opinions often set the nation's law." (Rest
Here
).


I also read a post on the Wired Blog that she is making a computer game about the judicial system.

"Delivering the keynote address Wednesday at the annual Games For Change
conference
at Parsons The New School For Design, O'Connor detailed a project
she is spearheading called Our Courts, which she described as an "online,
interactive civic education project for seventh- and eighth-graders" that
familiarizes students with the legal system. O'Connor believes that America's
youth aren't learning enough about civics, and thinks that the educational power
of videogames is just the thing to change that.
"Only one-third of Americans
can name the three branches of government," O'Connor said, "but two-thirds can
name a judge on American Idol."

Interesting Stuff.

-Agent Ska-

Monday, June 9, 2008

A TEST...

10

As a 1930s wife, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!





the questions go from pathetic to aggravating to funny( i flunked big time)

I'd like to get a peice of...

Luke's campaign donations.

He voted down the campaign finance reform legislation. (Link 1) (Link 2)

Hmm, I wonder why?

Aight so Luke being shady is nothing new. But could he just redistribute it? Could I pay lower taxes?

Come on, Luke. Gimme yo mon-ay!

Sincerely,

Agent Ska-

Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Obama Pound (or "Fist Pound of Hope")

Yet another reason that I am utterly enamored with Michelle Obama...and Barack, too, of course.

(The image quality isn't great, but the clip IS.)



This is pretty much the cutest thing I've seen in a really, really long time. It's better than any romantic movie I've watched in quite sometime. Maybe ever-- seeing as this real (or at least, real in life).

Awwwww!!!

-A.S.-

Today was a historic day.

I woke up this morning to an instant message saying, "DID YOU HEAR HILLARY SPEAK?"

"Uh. No. I just woke up."

"Oh Ok. Well, go read the text version. You have to."

"K."

Here is the full speech in all of its glory. Today was a historic day. Who knows what the next 5-6 months will bring us. No matter what, it's going to be a historic race, one that none of us will ever forget.

(CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke Saturday at a campaign event at the National Building Museum in Washington:
art.clinton.gi.jpg

Thank you very, very much. Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.

And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors who e-mailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be."

To the young people like 13-year-old Anne Riddell from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.

To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me. And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote, who cast their votes for our campaign. I've told you before about Florence Stein of South Dakota, who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.

She passed away soon after, and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, "My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom."

So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.

You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.

Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.

And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.

Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her. Are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.

We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?"

We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.

I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.

And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.

The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.

Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.

And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.

In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the state Senate, as a United States senator. He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.

Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.

Now, I understand -- I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.

We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.

We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.

We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.

This isn't just an issue for me. It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.

We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.

And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.

You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades. And during those, during those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president. Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.

We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.

Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.

Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.

We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.

Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.

It is this belief, this optimism that Sen. Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Sen. Obama to say: Yes, we can!

And that together we will work -- we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.

We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.

We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.

We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service. But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.

This election is a turning-point election. And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is. Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backwards?

Now, think how much progress we've already made. When we first really serve as commander in chief? Well, I think we answered that one.

Could an African-American really be our president? And Sen. Obama has answered that one.

Together, Sen. Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union. A woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president. But ...

But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of. I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.

To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay and equal respect.

Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.

You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States. And that is truly remarkable, my friends.

To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.

Always aim high, work hard and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.

As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead. If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.

Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it, and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.

That has always been the history of progress in America. Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.

Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who segregation and Jim Crow.

Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote, and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.

Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination. Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States. And so when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.

And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day.

So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself "if only" or "what if," I say, please, don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.

Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Sen. Obama is our next president.

And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.

To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.

To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.

To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.

To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.

And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters thank you for working those long, hard hours. Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end. And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too. All of you were there for me every step of the way.

Now, being human, we are imperfect. That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart. Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.

The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.

That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Sen. Obama and his campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.

There is nothing more American than that.

And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed. The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.

So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going. I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God- given potential.

I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and dividing love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.

This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.

Thank you all. And God bless you, and God bless America.


-A.S.-

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Erm

Can someone please explain to me what Hillary is doing? I'm so confused.

-Agent Ska-

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Campaign Finance Legislation

Five members voted for: Burgess, Dowd, Kraus, Peduto, Shields

Four members voted against: Motznik, Harris, Payne, Deasy

Because only 5 voted in favor, the Mayor could veto this.

Please contact him, asking him to support this legislation:

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
Phone: 412-255-2626
Fax: 412-255-2687

Surprising? Not so much.