Obama Cements Majority Of Pledged Delegates

Well, two more states have had their primaries. In Kentucky, Clinton scored a big victory. In Oregon, the huge victory belonged to Obama. But neither of these victories is the story of the night.

The story of the night is that Obama has now assured himself of finishing with a majority of the pledged delegates. Even if Michigan and Florida are allowed delegates when Democrats meet on May 31st, they will only be approved for half-delegations. That means even if they are counted, Clinton cannot catch Obama in pledged delegates.

Some of the Clinton surrogates are saying the outstanding superdelegates have not picked a candidate because they still haven't made up their mind. They believe these delegates could still be convinced to vote for Clinton. I don't believe that is true at all.

The reason they haven't declared their support for a candidate is out of respect for the Clintons. They want to give her the opportunity to finish the primaries and exit gracefully. There is no way they will go against the will of the pledged delegates. After June 3rd, they will break hard and fast for Obama.

We are also hearing a lot of talk from the Clinton campaign about how Obama can't win among uneducated working-class whites. That's a load of crap! Yes, there are a group of these voters in Appalachia and the Deep South that will vote for McCain. They did it in 2000 and 2004, and they will do it again no matter who the Democratic candidate is.

Anyone who thinks Clinton can get these people to vote Democratic in the Fall is just living in a dream world. They didn't vote for Clinton last night as much as they voted against a black candidate. There are a few states that will vote Republican no matter who the Democrats run.

But in the vast majority of states, Obama is having no trouble at all in getting white votes from all classes. Over 87% of Obama voters in Oregon were white. And he certainly didn't depend on minority voters for his win in Iowa. Just look at the crowds Obama is drawing -- the huge majority of which are white.

Obama may not carry Appalachia and some Southern states this Fall. There is still too much racism in this country. But I think he'll carry enough of the other states to make him our next president, and he'll do it with millions of white votes.

Radioactive Dumpground Is Wrong For Texas

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has an important decision to make today. They must decide whether to make Texas a dumping ground for the nations radioactive waste. A site is being prepared in West Texas (in Andrews County) at this time to receive that waste.

The TCEQ has to choose between three options. They can give Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists a license to operate the radioactive waste site, they can deny the license, or they can send the matter to an administrative judge to hear the concerns of those opposed to the site.

I hope they choose either the second or third option, because this site is just too close to the acquifer providing water to all of the South Plains and the Panhandle.

The waste company claims the site is dry and the radioactive waste cannot possibly get into the fresh-water acquifer. A geologist who used to work for the TCEQ disagrees. She says there is water in the clay at the site and this would cause the waste to be moved over time. Remember, this waste must be safely stored for hundreds of years.

Why should we take this chance? If the company is wrong, a huge protion of North and West Texas could be left with radioactively-poisoned water. Without water, the South Plains and Panhandle would become uninhabitable. There has to be a better place for this dangerous waste to be stored.

The Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter is holding a rally today in Austin. They still hope to convince the TCEQ to deny the license or at least submit the matter to an administrative judge. I wish them luck.

The issuance of this license could be a disaster-in-waiting for West Texas.

Kennedy Faces His Toughest Fight

Senator Edward Kennedy and his family have received some bad news. He has been in the hospital the last couple of days after suffering a seizure, while doctors tried to determine the cause. Yesterday, the doctors revealed the seizure had been caused by a malignant brain cancer.

The type of cancer found is an especially aggressive and lethal type. Some experts are saying he may have less than a year to live. Currently doctors are investigating the tumor further to see how to attack it. Usually a combination of radiation and chemotherapy is used to fight this type of brain tumor.

At his age (76) this will be a tough fight, but not impossible. Another senator, Arlen Specter, was able to come back after this type of tumor (although it has since returned).

Senator Kennedy carries with him the hopes and best wishes of millions of liberals and other Americans. He has been in the U.S. Senate since 1962, and since that time he has been a bulwark of liberalism. Even when the Republicans took over Washington and many other Democrats were moving to the center, Kennedy remained true to his liberal roots and beliefs.

All Democrats owe Kennedy a debt of gratitude for his loyal service to his party and his country. I wish him the best and hope he has a speedy recovery. He is needed.

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Another Democratic leader has just died. Hamilton Jordan, President Carter's Chief of Staff, died after a long fight against cancer. He was largely responsible for taking an unknown governor all the way to the White House. He served his country well and deserves the respect of all Democrats.

U.S. Plane Violates Venezuela Airspace

A United States government plane "conducting counter-drugs operations" violated Venezuela airspace last Saturday. The plane flew over the Venezuela-owned island of La Orchila, which has a military base and a home owned by president Hugo Chavez. Venezuela claimed this was just the latest in a series of "provocations" by the United States and Columbia.

The government there called in the U.S. Ambassador and demanded an explanation, but the U.S. government just passed it off as "navigation problems". The S-3 aircraft is a reconnaissance plane that is based in Florida. It normally does recon for counter-narcotics actions.

This is a bit worrying. It is a bit strange that the plane just happened to fly over a military base and Chavez's home after losing its way. That sounds more like the navigation problems were planned.

All eyes recently have been on Iran, as Bush postures and threatens. Many of us have wondered if Bush was planning another military action before leaving office. But maybe we've been looking in the wrong place. Maybe his last military venture will be in South America rather than Iran.

It's no secret that Bush hates Chavez. Maybe he thinks an attack on Venezuela would be easier than trying again in the Middle East. I hope not.

Obama Widens Gallup Poll Lead Over Clinton

Things have really changed since the start of the Democratic presidential campaign. Last January, Clinton held a 20 point lead over Obama in the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll among Democrats. But then Iowa caucused and the Clinton slide began.

Even though Clinton has done well recently in selected states, the daily poll shows that in the country as a whole she has been running about 11 points behind Obama. That Obama lead has now been stretched to 16 points. In the latest poll, Obama has 55% to Clinton's 39% among the nation's Democrats.

Clinton may not believe the race is over, but it looks like the country's Democrats are starting to coalesce behind Obama.

Ferraro Puts Second Foot In Mouth

Evidently it wasn't bad enough that Geraldine Ferraro clumsily tried to play the race card a few weeks ago. She said then that the only reason Obama has been successful is because he is black. It was a ridiculous statement and resulted in her being tossed out of the Clinton campaign.

Now she has inserted a second foot in her big mouth. She has said she believes Barack Obama has run a "terribly sexist" campaign. She went on to say that she may not vote for him if he becomes the party's nominee. Does that mean she would prefer to have McCain as president?

I used to have a lot of respect for this lady, but she has now destroyed that. I'm sorry now that I voted for her when she ran for vice-president. I had no idea how petty and vindictive she could be. She can't really think the women of America would be better off with McCain as president.

To Clinton's credit, her campaign was quick to distance her from Ferraro's remark. And I don't think Ferraro was speaking for the campaign. I think she is still smarting from the outrage over her last remark, and was just trying to strike back.

But she is not now helping Clinton or herself. The only thing she is doing is destroying her reputation as a loyal Democrat.

Obama Leads In Kentucky Contributions

The 2008 Democratic campaign for the presidential nomination is finally nearing its end. It now looks like Barack Obama will have the votes necessary to assure his nomination by June 3rd. Tomorrow, the states of Oregon and Kentucky will choose how to apportion their delegates. It is expected that Obama will easily carry the day in Oregon.

Clinton did very well in West Virginia, and it is expected she will also get a majority of the vote in Kentucky. She is currently leading in the polls in Kentucky. But in a strage twist, she doesn't lead Kentucky in all catagories.

Obama leads the state in the amount of political contributions received. He has received a total of $847,405. That is more money than Clinton and McCain together have received. Clinton has received $625,976 and McCain has received about $170,000.

As in other states, it looks like Obama is appealing to new and independent voters. Many of his contributors are people who have never contributed to a political campaign before. They view his candidacy as inspiring.

Clinton may well carry Kentucky tomorrow, but it will not be by the huge margin she carried West Virginia, and it will be nullified by Oregon. Tuesday will put Obama within double digits of the nomination.

Burnam Says Craddick Guilty Of Political Attacks

Recently, we've been hearing about "ghost workers" working for members of the Texas House of Representatives. These workers are on the payroll and receive the benefits (such as insurance) of full-time state employees, even though they do little or no actual work for the state.

State Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) is accusing House Speaker Craddick of using a non-governmental entity (the Quorum Report) to investigate his political enemies, and then leaking the information to the Austin American-Statesman. He finds it odd that the only people named are opponents of Craddick's retaining his speakership.

Burnam has written a letter to the chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics, Rep. Larry Phillips, asking the committee to be fair and thorough in its investigation. He wants the committee to make sure Craddick and his cronies are also investigated, and not just his political enemies. Click here to see Burnam's full letter.

This just once again points up the importance in electing Democrats this Fall, on the state level as well as the national level. The Texas House has been held captive to the dictatorial rule of Speaker Craddick, who seems much more interested in his own holding of power, than what is good for the citizens of Texas. Those who oppose Craddick find they can't get a fair hearing on their bills.

The easiest way to replace Craddick is to vote Democratic in November. It is time to remove this autocrat from his position of power in Austin.

Delegate Count

The current delegate count according to CNN:

Barack Obama.....1904

He needs 121 more delegates.

Hillary Clinton.....1717

She needs 308 more delegates.

Enough said.

Union Says No To American Airlines

It looks like the problems are starting to to come home to roost for American Airlines. And it didn't take a genius to know this would happen. Unions don't take kindly to being slapped in the face.

The Transport Workers Union has just rejected a two-year contract offer from American Airlines. The offer would have given the workers a 5% raise immediately and another 3.5% raise after a year. It would also have paid workers 30% of net income up to $250 million, 25% between $250 and $500 million, and 20% of everything over $500 million.

But the one thing it did not do is restore the salary-cuts these employees agreed to in an effort to save the company a few years ago. They thought their salaries would be restored when the company was once again profitable. They were wrong.

Once the company started turning a nice profit, they rewarded their management with millions of dollars in bonuses for two years in a row. They gave the rank-and-file employees nothing, even though they had saved the company. They couldn't have insulted the employees more if they had spit in their faces.

Truth is, the union might well have approved this offer if they had not been ignored while management received huge bonuses. But company management didn't care as long as they got their big bucks. Now they will have to pay for their greed.

They can expect the same from the pilot's and the attendant's unions. Payback is a bitch, ain't it?

Cyanide Seller Arrested By FBI

This is a rather scary story. On Monday, FBI agents arrested an Oklahoma man for offering to sell 25 gallons of sodium cyanide to an undercover officer he thought was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood. They then executed a search warrant and found the cyanide in the man's home.

The story started right here in Amarillo. An inmate at the Potter County Detention Center told authorities that Jeffrey Don Detrixhe (pictured above) had offered him a pound of methamphetamine (worth $8000) if he would deliver 100 pounds of cyanide to Oklahoma City.

That was in November. Since that time, authorities have kept Detrixhe under surveillance and taped his conversations with the informant. He told the informant that the cyanide could be transformed into a gas by adding hydrochloric acid, and bragged "I could kill a city with that...euthanize a whole town."

The informant convinced Detrixhe that he knew a member of the Aryan Brotherhood who would buy the cyanide. Detrixhe offered to sell 25 gallons of it to an undercover agent for $10,000, a thermal imager and an AK-47. That's when he was arrested.

He is expected to be brought back to Amarillo to be prosecuted. I hope he gets a very long sentence. We really don't need creeps like him running loose on our streets.

McCain Doesn't Understand Arab Anger

Yesterday, McCain showed that although he has military experience, he doesn't understand the situation in the Arab world and in Iraq any better than Bush did. He either misunderstands the situation or he's just outright lying about it.

Still smarting from his statement about leaving troops in Iraq for 100 years, McCain yesterday predicted the United States would achieve a victory in Iraq by the year 2013. I don't know what gives him the idea that any kind of victory can be achieved there -- even in another five years. There is absolutely nothing that shows any progress has been made. Why would that change just because another five years passes?

He predicted that because of this victory, most United States troops could be withdrawn by 2013. Note that he said most, not all troops could be withdrawn. He still wants to leave some troops in Iraq indefinitely. Why? To protect the interests of the big oil companies?

This just shows he really doesn't understand what is driving the Arab anti-Americanism, and indeed the terrorists also. Has he really bought into the Bush fiction that they hate us for our freedom? I thought even he could see how silly that idea was, but maybe I was wrong.

The Arabs don't care if we're free or not. What they do care about is American troops stationed on their soil. That was the major reason for 9/11. It was a retaliation by the terrorists for American troops being stationed in the Arab world.

If we had left Iraq a couple of years ago, the Iraqis might have settled their differences by now. But as long as we are there, the war against American troops will continue. There can be no victory because the reason they fight us is simply because we are there. If troops are left there, there will be no peace.

McCain is trying to make people believe he is different from Bush, but he's not. He shares the neocon belief that military power can achieve a victory in Iraq. If Bush couldn't do it, why should we believe McCain can do it following the same policy?

McCain has swallowed the Bush lie that we're trying to save the Iraqis. We are not. All we are doing by having troops there is inciting further violence. If McCain is elected, the war and the killing will just continue unabated as it has since 2003.

The Arabs don't hate Americans. They hate America trying to push them around with it's military power.

California Court Legalizes Equality

Yesterday the California Supreme Court took a bold step and declared that all Californians should have equal rights -- even homosexuals. The court struck down a ban against gay marriage by a 4-3 vote. That makes California the second state to legalize gay marriage -- the other being Massachusetts.

The court said, "In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation."

I'm sure many evangelicals will be quick to blame "those activist Democratic judges", but that would be wrong. The California Supreme Court is dominated by Republicans, and three of the four majority votes came from justices appointed by Republicans. This was not a party-driven decision. This was just the justices declaring that everyone should have equal rights. What a novel concept!

Of course the right-wing fundies are about to pop a blood vessel over the decision. Fundie leader James Dobson says the people of California must quickly pass a constitutional amendment because "Only then can they protect themselves from this latest example of judicial tyranny".

I have to admit I just don't understand what he wants to protect people from. Exactly how does two people of the same sex getting married hurt anyone else? No one is being forced to do anything. Evangelicals and all other heterosexuals can go on living just as they always have. They are not being hurt and don't need to be protected.

But the fundies know that. They're not interested in protection or equality. What they want is to force everyone else to live as they do. Personally, I don't care what they believe or how they live, but I do object to them trying to force their own beliefs and lifestyle on those who don't want it.

But maybe I'm wrong. I'm willing to change my mind, if someone can show me how they've actually been damaged by two strangers getting married.

Edwards Jumps Off The Fence

Many Obama supporters have been wondering who was going to tell Clinton that the nominating race is over -- now we know. Yesterday, in a huge Obama rally in Michigan, former presidential candidate John Edwards climbed down off that political fence and threw his support to Barack Obama.

This took whatever sting there was out of a rather unimportant loss for Obama in West Virginia on Tuesday night. While Clinton was celebrating her small-state victory, Obama gets what is probably the most important endorsement of the campaign.

In his endorsement speech, Edwards started out by extending an olive branch to the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. He urged Obama supporters to honor Clinton for her service to the Democratic Party. He is probably right about that, but it would be a lot easier to do if she would stop trying to play the "race card" and doing her best to tear down Barack Obama.

Then Edwards asked voters to tear down the walls separating Americans, especially the wall around Washington D.C. that separates Americans from their own government. He pointed out that the best way to do this is to send Barack Obama to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I did not start this campaign as an Obama supporter. I supported Bill Richardson and then John Edwards until each dropped out of the race. I then climbed on the Obama bandwagon, and I'm glad I did. I think he'll make a great president. It makes me proud to see that both Richardson and Edwards have now joined me on that Obama bandwagon.

Adding insult to injury for Clinton, one of the most important women's rights groups, NARAL, also threw their support behind Obama's bid for the presidency yesterday. They recognized the fact that this campaign for the Democratic nomination is over, and it's time to come together behind the Democratic nominee -- Barack Obama.

I hope Clinton can find a graceful way to exit in the next two weeks. The only thing that could prevent a Democratic victory in November is if she plays the "sour grapes" game and splits the party.