This diary will be short and sweet, but I just wondered how many of you watched "Washington Journal" on C-Span, especially this morning.  I always try to catch the first hour and a half, before heading off to work, and most of the time I always find myself captivated, especially if they have on a decent guest.

For weeks I have been reading about the terrible air pollution and smog in Beijing, as I am sure many of you have as well.  Some of you might have read about athletes showing up at the airport wearing official "masks" provided by a committee, and how China was so outraged.

What I never really saw was actual film footage of the smog (air pollution) in Beijing.  This morning, on C-Span's "Washington Journal", I saw actual footage.  Follow me below...

As some of you might recall, I decided to take my activism to the next level by filing to run in a very "local" race, i.e. a special taxing district that maintains roads, drainage and parks in my community.  I decided that I would only accept campaign contributions from local residents, and would accept none from any person or entity that might be seeking special favors, a contract, or business dealings with the district (which eliminated a huge source of funding for the average candidate in the special district).

When I spur of the moment decided to get in the campaign, I really had no idea of the cost of running a campaign, even for the basics.  I had a vague concept of the huge costs of running a statewide campaign, or even a national campaign, simply by the dollars reported in contributions and expenditures, especially in the Presidential nomination process.

So, if you ever really wondered about where all those campaign dollars go, let me offer you just some of where my extremely low budget funds have gone so far...

Via The Hill, there is a report that Judicial Watch (you remember that right winged entity of the past that hounded the Clinton administration to no end) has filed complaints against our candidate Barack Obama concerning the interest rate he received on his residential loan.

A watchdog group filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Senate Ethics Committee Wednesday against Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) over a discounted mortgage he received from Northern Trust.

Judicial Watch, a conservative legal watchdog group, filed the report after The Washington Post reported that Obama received a discount on a mortgage for a Chicago home valued at $1.65 million. The complaints said the Illinois senator received a loan at the interest rate of 5.625 percent, which Judicial Watch says is lower than the standard rate of between 5.93 and 6 percent indicated by surveys.

http://thehill.com/...

Tonight I and several others celebrated a friend's 82 birthday.  Now I know most people would consider it unlikely that at age 82 a person might still be out there making a difference, but this person is, and she serves as an inspiration for me.

I first met Rosa in early 2004.  At that time I was nearing age 44, nervously approaching public speaking in my first real community battle.  Some of that I have diaried about in the past, but essentially the community battle was one that pitted those of us fighting against the then Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush.  

My first introduction to Rosa was at a public meeting, where she went to the podium and literally gave a verbal tongue lashing to the same elected officials that I was still somewhat afraid of....

We, as the left, seem to suffer such angst at offering a negative thought against those we support; but honestly, after all these years, I don't suffer from any such angst.

Let met start with General Wesley Clark.  He said something yesterday on a national news program which could be deemed "OMG did he just attack McCain's patriotism"?  Um no he didn't.  But let's back up, I am not a huge Clark supporter, and I don't have his back so to speak.  

I try to call it as I see it so let's go...

This will be one of those diaries where I am not offering any media clips, snips, or commentaries, and just writing from my own personal perspective.  It is a take or leave it type thing, and I am sure most will just leave it, but I felt compelled toward offering my own thoughts on the topic.

As most all know, the US Supreme Court has offered a 5 to 4 opinion (that I have not read) which states that the death penalty is not warranted for the rape of a child.  I must say I agree with this decision, even though the rape of a child is something I find absolutely abhorrent, and worthy of severe criminal penalties.

I also find "murder" an abhorrent behavior, which lends toward my thought about the death penalty.

From the pages of The American Conservative can be found this article entitled Admitting Failure.  It is an interesting read that I suggest all peruse at their leisure; true from a "conservative" perspective, but it discusses at length the harm being done to our military.

Sgt. Thomas X. Hammes knew that, unlike some bad Hollywood movie, the band of thieves, social misfits, even murderers under his leadership would not transform into perfect Marines through some magic formula of tough love and fatherly motivation. Half the men in his platoon needed a swift kick out of the service, not more time in it.

"We kind of got the worst of the guys at the time," said Hammes. "Probably the worst in the history of the Marine Corps."

The year was 1976. Young T.X. Hammes was a platoon leader at one of the most inglorious times in the Corps’ proud tradition. The Vietnam War had just decimated the nation’s Armed Forces, the draft was gone, and the fabled Third Battalion, 3rd Marines was being infused with new recruits brought in under dramatically reduced standards.

Today I finalized my filing and qualified as a candidate for office, Seat 4, Indian Trail Improvement District here in Loxahatchee (also affectionately known as the Acreage).  The District is what is referred to here in Florida as a "special taxing district", and the responsibilities of this District via a 5 member elected Board of Supervisors include roads, parks, drainage and water storage, as well as easements over private roads and canals (which are actually resident owed).

Essentially the District serves as the governing agency for some 45,000 unincorporated residents within its borders (the size of an average city in my county).  While the District is not involved in land use or planning, easement access has become a large issue, especially as the pro-development Board of County Commissioners has focused on my area for necessary roads, water/sewer/reuse water utilities, water retention storage, and drainage issues.

While most of our country, rightly so, is focused on the ever increasing cost of gasoline, and its effect on our economy, this will be one of those diaries that reminds you that a much more valuable resource (now commodity?) is endangered.  This resource is something we need for life, and it is simply water.

We are running out of freshwater

In the first seven years of the new millennium, more studies, reports, and books on the global water crisis have been published than in all of the preceding century. Almost every country has undertaken research to ascertain its water wealth and the threats to its aquatic systems. Universities around the world are setting up departments or cross-departmental disciplines to study the effects of water shortages. The Worldwatch Institute has declared: "Water scarcity may be the most underappreciated global environmental challenge of our time."

For this diary, I will be offering quotes out of a new article on "The American Prospect"...follow me below

Tonight I read an interesting article on The Hill about Congressman Barney Frank and his position on two foreign hedge funds efforts to win 5 seats on CSX' Board.  

A rail operator’s effort to stir national security fears on Capitol Hill over two foreign hedge funds’ investment in the company has hit an obstacle in Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Frank, the top House lawmaker on foreign investment matters, said he wasn’t likely to weigh in on behalf of rail giant CSX Corp., which has been lobbying Congress to intervene in its battle with two funds trying to win five seats of the 12-member board.

 http://thehill.com/...

With the inspiring video of Barack Obama on the rec list, and him describing the large battle ahead, we will have a 50 state strategy going into the general election.  I still credit Howard Dean with this strategy, one that was adopted by Obama in winning his own nomination.  

While it is true that Obama campaigned harder in some states than he did in other, I believe that he actually campaigned by appearances, rallies, townhalls, etc. during the nomination process in at least 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii not visited - correct me if I am wrong).  He absolutely had campaign offices in each state and territory, and this laid out the base for the fall campaign.

Today's Washington Post features an article about how each party is searching for wins in traditional opponent territory; however, I believe Obama already has a one up on McCain in that regard.  Many more states will be in contention (imho) than the Democrats have put into contention for most of my life.  

With all of the rage on Kos today focusing on the "color" on John McCain's teeth, I thought this might be a good time for discussing the cost of dental care and the ability of the impoverished to receive quality dental care.  Being one who grew up poor, let me be the first to say that I have had a lot of dental work done in my adult years, and the cost has now even surpassed my ability to pay for it.  All of those old cavities now require "caps" or "crowns" with "root canals", at an average cost of $1500 to $2000 per tooth.

Even just a regular teeth cleaning visit might cost the average person $150 plus or minus, with x-rays.  Without dental insurance, I am not keeping up with my "dental care", as I am struggling just to make it with a stagnant income and increasing costs.  On the other hand, if an emergency arose, I would find a way.  But what about the poor?

The London Telegraph has an article out today suggesting that the Obama campaign is prepared to offer a "dignified exit" for Clinton by offering her a cabinet position:

Hillary Clinton will be offered a dignified exit from the presidential race and the prospect of a place in Barack Obama's cabinet under plans for a "negotiated surrender" of her White House ambitions being drawn up by Senator Obama's aides.

The former First Lady would get the chance to pilot Mr Obama’s reforms of the American healthcare system if she agrees to clear the path to his nomination as Democratic presidential candidate.

Senior figures in the Obama camp have told Democrat colleagues that the offer to Mrs Clinton of a cabinet post as health secretary or to steer new legislation through the Senate will be a central element of their peace overtures to the New York senator.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

I purchased this book several months ago, and finally began reading it first for an hour last night, and finished it tonight in one of my own frenzied reading spells.  

After reading it, I urge everyone to read this book.  Of course, it is entirely fiction, as Grisham acknowledges, but its topic is quite real, and mirrors what we have seen played in politics for quite a few years.

I wont give anything away here, but during this entire primary season there was one reality that I always eventually honed in on, and it was our US Supreme Court.  The reality offered by this book is that all of our courts are under assault, and most especially those courts that rely upon "elections" for the various Judges of those Courts.

While the Iraq War is not as frequently discussed, either by media, or even us here in light of the primary dispute, March 19, 2008 marked the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War.  Honestly, I was much more in favor of Kucinich's it is time to leave now approach, I eventually settled on Obama and his "let's leave in 16 months" strategy.  

That settling wasn't based entirely on his Iraq policy (I knew Kucinich would never win).  Obama clearly desires that we leave Iraq (as does Clinton, but she voted for the war), and McCain will keep us there until we win, whatever win might be defined as.  Nonetheless, I still say, as I have for a long while, it is long past time for us to leave.

Tonight, if you follow me over the fold, I will bring you snippets of a commentary from the pages of the History News Net...

Yeah, I must admit, I watched the HBO flick entitled "Recount", and it just reignited all of the reasons I was so ticked off in 2000.  The reason I continually referred to Bush #43 as the pResident.

The movie was fairly accurate, except that it skipped the fact that the dispute hit the US Supreme Court twice, and not once, but that fact perhaps will be buried, after all, it resulted in Bush becoming selected no matter what.

Some of the reasons that flick reignited me being pissed off...

For the last three days, Barack Obama has made a swing through Florida, starting in Tampa, traipsing through Palm Beach County, hitting hard in Miami, and ending in Sunrise (Broward County) Florida.  Several times, Obama referred to Sunrise as "Sunshine", a fact that local media has been sure to note, but unless you live in South Florida, I suppose it is fairly easy to think Sunshine in relation to the Sunshine State, as opposed toward a town called Sunrise.  I certainly forgive him <g>.

I was hoping that I could attend that rally today in Broward County, but work prevented me from doing so.  Trust me that I was there in spirit, and perhaps my empty seat was filled by someone who previously didn't support Obama but now does.

As a Floridian, let me be the first to state that Obama's South Florida visit was a huge success.  Of course, as it relates toward winning the entire State in November, there is work to be done, but let me offer at least some local "media" for the last few days...follow me below the "fold"

As many of you who have read my diaries or comments know, I am a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida.  Unlike most in my county, I am one of the odd 39% or so who voted for Barack Obama on January 29, 2008.

I know some might suggest that Florida should just be written off for the general (and not necessarily here) unless Clinton is the nominee.  As I always have, I absolutely disagree with that sentiment, as I think this state can be won in the general for our soon to be designated nominee...Barack Obama.

Below, I will offer you a press release offered by the Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee (which I just discovered in e-mail that I haven't read for a few days!).  While I am a member of the DEC, I missed this particular meeting, and there was never any press release in the local paper: