I don’t really understand the whole concept of a politician “pardoning” a turkey. In this MSNBC video Sarah Palin pardons a turkey however, while being interviewed, you can see others being slaughtered behind her. (WARNING THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN’T WANT TO SEE HOW TURKEYS ARE KILLED)

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving. That’s alot of birds!

Want to do something to takepart on Thanksgiving? Visit http://www.volunteermatch.org/ and find volunteer opportunities to participate in on Thanksgiving. Volunteer Match pairs volunteers up with volunteer opportunities.

The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was instituted in 1993, stopping the military from asking potential members if they are gay. However the policy requires openly gay service members to be discharged from service. Now, according to the lead sponsor of a bill that would repeal the law, the “don’t ask-don’t tell” policy could be overturned when Barack Obama’s administration takes over the White House.

Obama told Philadelphia Gay News “Although I have consistently said I would repeal ‘don’t ask-don’t tell,’ I believe that the way to do it is to make sure that we are working through processes, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be.”-CNN.com

A Washington Post/ABC News poll this summer found 75 percent of Americans support allowing gays to serve openly, compared to only 45 percent in 1993.

So basically what we’re saying is-it’s cool for gays to fight and possibly die for America’s freedom BUT it’s not cool for gays in America to have the freedom to marry. Oh okay. gothca.
takepart and visit the Human Rights Campaign at http://www.hrc.org/ to join the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.

Yes, yes they did.

(Disclosure: I’ve written for Salon.com’s Broadsheet blog in the past.)

The author, a black woman named Erin Aubry Kaplan, begins:

…what really thrills me, what really feels liberating in a very personal way, is the official new prominence of Michelle Obama. Barack’s better half not only has stature but is statuesque. She has corruscating intelligence, beauty, style and — drumroll, please — a butt. (Yes, you read that right: I’m going to talk about the first lady’s butt.)

Objectifying the female half of the soon-to-be-most-prominent black couple in American culture so uncomfortable in a lot of ways.  I point you towards Amanda Fortini’s wonderfully thorough piece in New York magazine about female stereotypes this past election, specifically “Bitch” Clinton and “Ditz” Palin. She touches on how Michelle struggled with the “angry black woman” stereotype earlier in the campaign, before becoming an easier-to-swallow “mom-in-chief” — cute daughters and puppy in tow.  What will happen if we turn our attention to her bootylicious ass?

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Many many months ago, we told you that the incredibly-bearded Chuck Norris had asked Congress to drill here and now.  Well, Norris is back, and has posted an open letter to President-elect Obama (if you recall, Bush has, oh, let’s say…three months left?), giving him some advice.

It seems Norris is concerned that “Democrats have a virtual monopoly over our land, with control of the White House, both houses of Congress, a majority of gubernatorial positions, state legislatures, the courts, the news media, the unions and the entertainment and educational fields,” and wants to make sure this doesn’t ruin the good thing going we have called AMERICA.  And so he says,

It’s no big surprise that I don’t see politically eye-to-eye with you. Actually, I stand in stark opposition to most of your politics. Still, even in our differences, I realize that we must learn to work together if we are to see our country get back on track. After Election Day, I asked myself, despite the outcome, how can I work for our new president to help better America? Then the thought occurred to me, the first question that should be answered is: How will you work for me? After all, it is “We, the People” of the Constitution for whom you are employed, correct?

It’s kind of like what JFK said upon inaguration, except the exact and complete opposite.  Anyhow, Norris outlines four points for Obama to follow to be a good president:

1. Use and cite the Constitution. What does this entail, Mr. Norris?

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Obama’s campaign staff developed a strong Web presence throughout his run for the presidency, and now President-Elect Barack Obama (oh, that’s fun to type!) has launched Change.gov to make for a smooth internet transition to the White House.  The site, complete with a countdown to the inauguration, allows you to learn more about the presidential team and policies, follow the transitional process to Pennsylvania Ave, and share  your ideas.

Just as the previous site helped galvanize supporters (and raise a pretty penny), the new one will hopefully encourage people to

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Politico reports that Robert Gibbs will be White House Press Secretary in the new Barack Obama administration (man, that feels good to write). Gibbs had functioned as the primary spokesman for Obama throughout his Presidential campaign. So what do we know about the man who could serve as the mouthpiece for this new era in American politics. For one he’s a Southerner, hailing from Auburn, Alabama, and has a pleasant sounding southern drawl, sure to put a down home spin on policy pronouncements. He also seems like a pretty pleasant guy, as evidenced in this contentious interview with Fox News‘ Sean Hannity on his show Hannity & Colmes, where Gibbs kills the conservative commentator softly, giving him just enough rope to hang himself on his own abundant vitriol. Check it out:

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Fortunately, Darfur has been much discussed in the presidential debates, with both candidates expressing genuine concern for the ongoing genocide. Both presidential and vice-presidential candidates have also supported removed their personal assets from Sudan . However, there is much more to be done on the political and humanitarian fronts to end the genocide in Darfur with a new president in the White House. Send a strong message to the new administration about the importance of Darfur by supporting the Genocide Intervention Network’s effort to make Darfur a Day One Priority. takepart Sign today to help them reach their goal of one million postcard signers.

There are websites that elevate the discourse of American electoral politics to a transcendent state of bipartisanship - and then there is Palin As President. The interactive website offers a so scary it’s hilarious look into the possible future of an Oval Office inhabited by the Republican Vice Presidential candidate and current Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Users of the site can simply drag their mouse around the page clicking on various items in the scene which unveil different gags which have developed around Governor Palin during her eventful tenure with the McCain-Palin campaign.   Plus the website is updated daily till the Presidential election on November 4th to give visitors some new material  to find on the page.

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Two secret White House memos from 2003 and 2004 have been discovered that explicitly endorsed the use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods. The documents, reported on today in The Washington Post by Joby Warrick, were requested by then-CIA Director George Tenet to quell fears within his agency of public and or judicial reprisals should the torture program become public knowledge. Formerly, Justice Department memos had endorsed the interrogation methods conducted by the CIA, but nothing in writing mentioning the program had ever come out of the White House, which worried Intelligence officials afraid of being stuck holding the bag for a program which obviously violated international law.

The revelation that the White House approved the torture methods conducted by the CIA is hardly a surprise to anyone who has watched our supposed leaders over the past several years use every obstructionist tactic known to man to prevent the disclosure of their unlawful methods. However now that a direct link to the Bush Administration has been found, in writing, the next administration and its Justice Department should make no allowances whatsoever for the criminals that disgraced this country with such barbaric behavior. All those involved with these torture programs should be tried and sent to prison if convicted.

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The massive Wall Street bailout package that has dominated headlines for the past week was passed by the House and signed into law today.   The record $700 Billion expenditure is probably the largest amount of money ever to be spent on something nobody really wanted.   The Wall Street firms, while obviously happy to get the money, certainly never wanted to get to this point.   Politicians throughout Washington DC spent the week busy trying not to take too much of the credit or absorb too much of the blame over the passage or defeat of the legislation, many even voting under protest or literally holding their noses while saying “Aye” for the measure.   The Presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, handled the issue - albeit sometimes clumsily - with kid gloves, recognizing the importance of the package being passed, while not wanting to be identified too closely with something so unpopular with the voting public.   Eventually both would vote for it though, as would the Senate on the first try and House on the second.

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