Blog Safari #10


Sometimes it is difficult to comment or read all of the unique and interesting blog posts out in the afrosphere. That is why we use this 'Blog Safari' concept. I hope you enjoy these blog post referrals:
Let us know if you come across any remarkable posts that should be shared in our next Blog Safari!

Rumor: Sarah Palin is Grandmother, not Mother of Young Trig

Drumbeats from Sagacious Rambling tell us about rumors circulating online about whether Governor Sarah Palin is young Trig's mother ... grandmother!

According to comments from classmates and other members of the community Bristol Palin, the governor's 16 year old daughter was out of school during what would have been the last trimester of the governor's pregnany due to a bad case of mono. A case so severe, according to the Palin family, Bristol missed nearly 5 months of school. Her own staff had their doubts back in March.

The story is that Sarah Palin's water broke while she was attending a conference in Texas. She then proceeded to give a 30-minute speech before taking an 11-12 hour flight home to Alaska to give birth.

So, what is really happening here? Villagers are left to wonder if Palin is simply a mother trying to protect the reputation and image of her family or is this a mother who simply wants to protect the image of her family or is Sarah the Barracuda using this pregnancy to bolster her career and win admiration from Rush Limbaugh, PUMAs and other right-wing wackos of the Republican Party by claiming the child as her own and choosing not to terminate the pregnancy knowing the child would have Down's Syndrome?

Initially, I thought that Palin's selection was Vice President was comparable to Dan Quayle. However, on second thought, perhaps Palin is more comparable to Tom Eagleton. You may recall that Tom Eagleton only lasted 17 days as the vice presidential nominee with George McGovern in 1972. I wonder if Palin will last that long?

The video below was taken in February 2008 ... two months before Trig was born. Does Gov. Palin look pregnant?


Obama Photo Gallery

I encourage all Villagers to check out some remarkable photos of Barack Obama from Iowa through the general election. These wonderful shots of Obama's secret service and his supporters were taken by Scout Tufankjian. She is a photographer based in Brooklyn, New York.

Solo review- From Beyond (1986)



From Beyond (1986)

Sub-Genre- Lovecraft



In Attendance- Me



Cast Members of Note- The awesome Jeffrey Combs and Ken Foree, and the ever hot Barbara Crampton.



What's it about?- It's basically about an creepy old doctor who likes to tie women up and abuse them, finding a way to access the hidden world of flesh hungry creatures that constantly surrounds us. Of course it turns him into some sort of sex-man/monster, and he never loses his horny demeanor with the ladies.



What is it about this guy that drives the women wild?


Enter a sexually repressed brain doctor/author who is really hot, a nerdy and terrorized scientist, and a sassy black cop, and all hell breaks loose! By "all hell" I mean she gets very horny and tries to have sex with everyone... Even the nerd after he nearly gets sucked half to death by some nether-creature and ends up looking like a half sucked white Milkdud.





I wont ruin the ending here, but trust me when I say an giant sized evil penis nearly ruins everyone's day.



Giant sized evil penis.


The Good- You have to love H.P. Lovecraft; the guy had some crazy ideas about things, and I'll be damned if he doesn't have me wondering about a universe full of elder gods that we humans aren't advanced enough to see. From Beyond lets us see what H.P. wanted us to believe, and it does so in glorious fashion.



Jeffrey Combs is great as usual, as is Ken Foree. Sure they're b-movie character guys, but to us Horror fans they're legends. This is fun, bloody, interesting and bizarre all at once. I love this movie.



The Bad- Honestly, the worst part about this movie is that I wish it had been longer.



The Downright Horrendous- The bat/bird/dragon/winged demon thing. LOL.



The Gory- TONS of blood and gore for those of us that like it to flow heavy. The Directors Cut DVD even has the "Eyeball sucking scene" put back into the movie, and that's just nasty... In a good way of course.



Oh that sucks. Get it? Sucks... Never mind.


The Naked- Barbara Crampton for the win! She is a bad girl in this, and she shows her goods-a-plenty.



"Ok, I'll try it, but are you sure its gonna fit?"


Best Line- "It... ate... him!" or "That will be enough of that."



What did we learn?- H.P. Lovecraft was a creepy and brilliant dude. Also, always listen to the scientist when he tells you "no."



Rating- A This is one of the best horror flicks of the 80's, and you need to have this in your collection.



Final Thoughts- God Barbara Crampton is hot.

Coming Soon- Dead Girl (2009)

The more I hear/read about this, the more intrigued I am; There's no trailer yet, but with TIFF right around the corner, I'm sure the net will be flooded with early reviews. Until then, the premise has me wanting more.



I sense danger.


"A horror/thriller about two teenagers who make a shocking discovery that not only threatens their friendship but also their lives. In a forgotten room of an abandoned asylum, they find a beautiful woman tied to a bed, and soon come to realize she is anything but dead."



"Shiloh Fernandez (RED) and Noah Segan (CABIN FEVER 2) portray high school stoners who ditch school in favor of drinking beer in an abandoned sanitarium. The pair make their way into the bowels of the building, and stumble across a vicious dog. The ensuing chase leads them to a barricaded door. Upon entering the adjoining room, they find an incapacitated woman wrapped in plastic and strapped to a table. As time passes, the teens make a series of questionable decisions that put them, their friends and the audience on the spot."



I don't trust her.

Coming Soon- Able



Able looks pretty messed up. I got a 28 Days Later vibe when I saw the trailer, but not in a rip-off kind of way. I'll be waiting to get my hands on this one.





"A fast-spreading epidemic of progressive paralysis has stricken Berlin, killing most of the city's inhabitants in a matter of days.

Trapped within their own bodies, the paralysis spreading from limb to limb, the remaining survivors are isolated and dying--except for a few.

Those few who can still walk may be more deadly than the epidemic itself.

Benny Berg seeks to save his father, Ivo. Partially crippled Katrin is stalked by someone who wants to kill her--or worse. Almost incapacitated, Marieke drowns herself. Meat cleaver in hand, Niko grows increasingly frustrated with her "dead" limbs. Rudi suddenly finds Berlin ripe for the taking. Pastor Bernhard preaches to a spastic flock of parishioners. And Captain Hofler firmly believes the military is coming--but to incinerate everyone.

Able delivers unspeakable acts of violence, sexual deviance, and human madness in a gritty, stylized take on the survival horror subgenre."

Check out the trailer below:

TRAILER

#20- The Brood (1979)



The Brood (1979)

Sub-Genre- Cronenberg (Yeah, he gets his own sub-genre)



In Attendance- Me, Eryn, and The Vanilla Gorilla.



Cast Members of Note- Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle.



What's it about?- The Brood is a prequel to Kramer vs. Kramer; it shows us the pitfalls of divorce, and how hard it can be on the kids. Especially if the kids in question are mongoloid mutants born from stomach sacks.



Kill it with fire!


When a good, caring husband and father realizes that his wife is insane, he sends her off to the hospital for shock treatment and maybe a lobotomy; what she gets instead is a radical new therapy that makes her even more insane, and turns her into a mutant baby maker with absolutely no sense of humor.



Tastes like chicken.


The little mutoids start killing people at mom's request, and it isn't long before they want to kill their little sister too, and just because she's a normal human being! I cant stand intolerance.





I wont ruin the ending here, but suffice it to say that dad strangles mom to death.



The Good- This movie is a horror classic in many ways. It gets into your head and messes with you subtly on a subconscious level, and also hits you with the visceral terror in the same stroke. It's a creepy and disturbing breath of fresh air.



Some claim it's too slow paced, but you know what, go watch fucking Scream. God forbid that you allow tension to build, and for jump scares every two seconds to be replaced with mood and atmosphere. You know what, don't go watch Scream, just go jump off of your roof.



This movie is a prime example of why the late 70's/early 80's was one of the best periods in Horror history; people actually made films that explored new ideas instead of retreading the same old ground.





The Bad- Every time I get so much as a mosquito bite I think that "Psychoplasmics" has got a hold on me. Fucking David Cronenberg.



The Downright Horrendous- Why did she have to die?



She sooooo would have slept with him too.


The Gory- This one delivers the crimson goods; mutant kids bashing people to death with mallets, bloody infant licking, deformed body birth... there's plenty of Cronenberg-esque nastiness on display here.



The love of a mother knows no bounds.


The Naked- Just the body of a dead mutant kid, but that doesn't count.



Best Line- "Thirty seconds after you're born you have a past and sixty seconds after that you begin to lie to yourself about it." or "Damn kids."



What did we learn?- If Cronenberg teaches us nothing, it's that we are our own worst enemy, and our bodies are out to destroy us. Also, all wives are apparently insane. Also, Cronenberg has issues, and since he's Canadian, that means all Canadians have issues too.



Rating- A+ A masterpiece. Cronenberg's work in the 70's and 80's made statements and forced the audience to ask themselves some hard questions, and The Brood is no exception. You must have this movie in your collection.



Final Thoughts- My mom gives this movie to me on DVD every Christmas; she saves it until last, and stares at me like Samantha Eggar (see pic below) until I open it. Once my tears begin to flow, she starts to laugh and runs off into the attic. I think she's trying to tell me something.

#17- The Boogeyman (1981)



The Boogeyman (1981)

Sub-Genre- Supernatural Stalker



In Attendance- Me, Eryn, The Vanilla Gorilla and Nick (although he ran off not far into the movie.)



Cast Members of Note- John Carradine. (This was not his career high point.)



What's it about?- A little boy that is tired of his mothers incessant whoring around (Including tieing him to the bed so that she can scrump), stabs her nylon-faced lover to death while she's scrumping him. His sister only watched, so she's the pure one I guess.



Well, Junior grows up to be a mute creep, strangling his sisters friends and painting mirrors black, but everyone seems to think he's just "quiet." Like any of us would do, the sister returns to her childhood home to face her fears, and break things that don't belong to her in the process. She breaks the mirror which has been in the house since that fateful night, and still contains the ghost of the guy her brother killed.



Terrifying.


Luckily, her moron husband decides to take it home, and the vengeful spirit follows them and starts killing random people... really, no more needs to be said. I mean, when a shard of glass stuck to a kids foot casts that "sun filled mirror reflection thing" across and entire lake, thusly killing the campers that were "Shined upon", I just want things to be over.



The Good- This isn't the worst horror movie ever, but it certainly isn't good. There are some decent kills, but the movie as a whole is a big mess. Ulli Lommel isn't much of a director; in fact he's a bit of an old school Uwe Boll and it shows. I dont have much good to say, so I guess this section is done.



The Bad- It spawned 2 sequels. I'm not so happy about that.



Director's Cut means use footage from part one for half of part 2!. Ugh.


The Downright Horrendous- The retarded little brother screaming "Boogeyman!" every chance he got. Special thanks to the window for snapping his neck.



The Gory- Some decent kill scenes such as Scissors to throat, a double mouth impaling, pitchfork violence, and a nice scene with a kid stabbing a guy to death...



The Naked- Nothing more than a quick flash of boob... although there were some suggestive scenes.



Best Line- "Thank god it's fucking over!" Wait, that was me who said that...



What did we learn?- The 80's took its fair share of cinematic shits, especially in the horror genre.



Rating- D Watch it if it's on TV or something, but don't expect much.



Final Thoughts- Poor John Carradine.



My thoughts exactly.

John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)



Vampires

Sub-Genre- Vampire



In Attendance- Me, Geo, Machine, Chris and Christian.



Cast Members of Note- The one and only James Woods! Also, Daniel Baldwin, The bad guy from Karate Kid 3, and Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks.



What's it about?- Basically its the story of a vampire hunter, James Woods, who hunts down a master vampire, they guy who betrayed Daniel-San in The Karate Kid 3, because he killed all of his whores. And friends too. It's the Daniel-San thing that hurts him most of all though.



"Boy will James Woods be pissed about this!"


Our hero, along with the least cool Baldwin brother set out to find the bloodsucker with a hottie/half vamp in tow. If they can kill him before she fully turns, they can save her life and the Baldwin can do it with her all he wants to without fear of being eaten.



I'd take her with me too.


From here on out, the mayhem and carnage kick into full gear, and by the end, only two people are still "Alive."



The Good- This movie sure has taken it's share of crap from critics (most of whom have no pulse to begin with), and for the life of me I cant figure out why. Sure, it's not a cinematic masterpiece, but then again it isn't supposed to be. It's a horror movie, and one of the fun variety. It certainly doesn't hearken back to the early 80's Carpenter films and their grandeur, but neither does it shit on them.



What we have here is a fun, bloody vampire movie that gives us an interesting premise and James Woods as the bad ass undead-slayer. How can you not love James Woods in all of his "Woodsness" bitch slapping a bunch of vampires around?



So are we Peter. So are we.


The Bad- I wish it could have followed the book a bit more.



The Downright Horrendous- The Catholic Church once again proves that it harbors dark secrets and evil plots. Also, priests that rape.



The Gory- Vampires killing people, people killing vampires... Blood and violence are everywhere!



Now that's a party!


 The Naked- Not only do we get a motel party full of loose women in various states of undress, but we get the yummy Sheryl Lee pretty much fully naked. Neat.



Yeah, me too.


Best Line- "I killed my own father, padre. I got no trouble killing you." or "Well first of all, they're not romantic. Its not like they're a bunch of fuckin' fags hoppin' around in rented formal wear and seducing everybody in sight with cheesy Euro-trash accents, all right?"



What did we learn?- The Vatican knows vampires are real! They have a team lead by James Woods that hunts and kills them.





Rating- B+ This movie isn't perfect, but it's a fun time and a sight better than most crap vampire movies you'll come across. You should own it, or at very least rent it.



Final Thoughts- Sheryl Lee is just hot.

Videodrome (1983)



Videodrome

Sub-Genre- Cronenberg



In Attendance- Me, Geo, Machine, Chris, and Christian.



Cast Members of Note- James Woods and Debbie Harry (a.k.a. Blondie)



What's it about?- Max Renn is a sleazy perv who runs a porn channel, so naturally, he goes in search of snuff, because that's what porn makes you do right? I mean, watching sex definitely turns 99% of humans into horrible monsters who crave death and violence. It's science. Ask the Catholic Church, they'll tell you. Wait... not science then... sin? Whatever.



He receives a tape called Videodrome, which must be laced with acid, and begins to hallucinate the craziest things; clowns on trampolines riding tricycles; midgets spinning plates; Debby Harry naked... He even grows a stomach vagina, which turns out to be real. He can hide things in it, and even decapitate nerds with it... neat.



You thought I was lying, didn't you? Ha!


He starts dressing up as Lazer-Man and basically becomes an assassin of the new flesh. TV is his enemy, and he's out to stop anyone that he can from watching it. This of course involves having kinky sex with Blondie, and being whacked out of his mind on "drugs" the whole time, but who am I to judge? The guy really gets some things accomplished, so go for it man.



Lazer-Man rules!


I wont ruin the ending here, but suffice it to say that it ends badly for everyone involved.



The Good- Movies like this really make me miss the 80's. Horror these days is all about quick cuts and jump scares; neat endings that resolve/explain everything(while managing to set you up for the sequel); crisp visuals and utter lack of any terrifying atmosphere... Gone (mostly) are mood and pacing, letting some things remain unanswered, or god forbid making you use your mind to figure them out for yourselves. Horror movies of today, often times, don't have what it takes to fuck you up enough to remember them ten minutes after seeing them, let alone sticking with you for a longer period of time.





Cronenberg always delivers on those fronts though. He grabs you, strokes your hair, relaxes you, and it's far too late by the time you notice the pipe bomb that he's shoved up your ass... and then boom. You feel a mess and aren't sure what just hit you, but you know you are different somehow. And Dirty.



He is the master of "Body Horror"- your body failing you/rebelling against you- and it's terrifying on a deeper level than most hack and slash movies ever could be. He still makes great movies, though not horror, and I cant complain one bit about films like Eastern Promises or A History of Violence, I just wish he'd make a horror movie now and then. He's so damn good at it.



You really do need to see this if you haven't. If not, you're missing out.



The Bad- James Woods is very self-destructive.





The Downright Horrendous- Why does Cronenberg insist on making me afraid of my own body? I feel like every woman Ive ever dated after watching his films; Confused, afraid and often times repulsed... yet I keep coming back for more... Hmmm.



The Gory- James Woods has a stomach vagina that hides things and eats hands; a flesh gun turns someone into a mess of tumors; a TV spills its guts... there's some good gore here.



Good Stuff.


The Naked- Debbie Harry and James Woods both get naked.... including Blondie using her boobs as an ashtray. Yum. Also, a naked chick gets flogged.



Best Line- "Long live the new flesh." or "Careful... it bites."



What did we learn?- Debbie Harry is a bit of a slut. Also, TV is bad for you.



Rating- A This is another Cronenberg masterpiece; the guy just knows how to get in your head and make you feel VERY uneasy about everything. Own it.



Final Thoughts- Even Viggo Loves Cronenberg.



Kiss me you creepy fuck...

Sarah Palin is McCain's Running Mate

I have not heard of Gov. Palin until this morning. Have you heard of her before? I suppose that the Republicans hope that this shakes up the political election and gives them some of the 'change' mantra that Obama dominates today.

Props to the folks here and here that had the foresight to create websites promoting Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) as a vice-presidential candidate. Here is a video with some background on Gov. Palin.




Gov. Palin is a mother of 5 children. Her youngest child was born with Downs Syndrome. One of her oldest sons enlisted in the military last year. She is a pro-life candidate. She played on the Alaska state basketball championship in 1982. She graduated from the University of Idaho. She was a sportscaster on television in Alaska before serving on a city council and becoming mayor of a town with 7,500 citizens. She lost her bid to become lieutenant-governor in Alaska a few years ago.

She rebounded from that defeat with a victory in 2006 in her race to become Alaska governor. Not many Republicans were winning in 2006 ... so it says something that she won the race in her state. She has a 87% favorable rating in her state.

It appears that McCain is making effort to bring out the women's vote ... and perhaps seek support from Hillary Clinton voters that don't support Barack Obama. However, I think that many of those supporters were brought back to their Democratic home during the Democratic Convention in Denver this past week.

It appears that this is a gamble being made by John McCain to change the conversation. Please share your thoughts on this VP selection. What say u about Sarah Palin?

Barack Obama Democratic Convention Speech (video, text)






----

Barack Obama did a remarkable job in his speech, 'The American Promise'. He was strong and forceful in making the case for his presidency. He directly challenged John McCain's temperament and fitness to be our nation's leader. I watched his speech with such a sense of pride. I look forward to an Obama presidency ... how about you?!

Here is the text of his speech:

To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation;

With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
.
Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That's why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."

Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.

The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives - on health care and education and the economy - Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this President. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."

A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great - a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.

Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.

What is that promise?

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.
.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.

And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.

For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
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