AP Wrong to Claim Copyright Infringement

AP president and CEO Tom Curley may want to rethink suing Shepard Fairey for copyright infringement. I created this political portrayal of Curley by using a photo I downloaded from the Purdue University website. The photo contained no copyright notice, not that it matters. I still consider it fair use and the resulting image my own work of art. (Feel free to use this image at no cost. All I ask in return is that you credit me as the source.)

The Associated Press (AP), who provides a large amount of the photos, film footage, and articles regurgitated by many major news sources, has charged artist Shepard Fairey with violating copyright law for using an AP photo to create his famous iconic Obama image which was used in the 2008 election campaign. Fairey sold some of his posters for thousands of dollars and now the AP wants a piece of the action.

Bull hockey!

AP director of media relations, Paul Colford, says he would like Fairey to settle with them over the photo rights.

That would be a mistake on many levels. Fairey should stick to his guns and defend himself for his rights as an artist to use this or any other image to create works of art. If AP wins this case, it will set precedent over gazillions of creative works. Suddenly, everyone will want a piece of the starving artist’s pie. The only reason the AP is coming out of the woodwork is because, aghast! Fairey has made actual money! Imagine that! An artist, making money! Wow! What an anomaly!

AP has written their own article explaining the issue on February 4, 2009. In this article, they show the two images.

I have to say, there really is very little similarity. Obama’s head is redrawn from scratch, angled slightly and foreshortened, with different coloration and background, so much that I feel it is completely altered (unlike the photo of Tom Curley above, which I altered in photoshop, but which I still feel is now my original artwork). It took the photographer a split second to take the photo of Obama. It took the artist, Shepard Fairey, countless hours (I would estimate 50 hours) to draw and make prints of his iconic Obama image. Can the two images really be considered as having similar value?

An excellent opinion piece explaining the details of the case is published in a Feb. 8, 2009 Huffington Post article by Jonathan Melber.

While in grade school a few decades ago, my art teacher told us kids about the “ten percent” rule. He pulled out old magazines, such as National Geographic, Time, US News and World Report, and People Magazine, and told us to freely use at will any of the images we found. “Just change them by 10 percent,” he said. “So it now becomes your original work inspired by their work.”

We all cut and pasted photos of this and that. One classmate took a photo of a geisha girl from National Geographic, blew her up very large, cropped her to her eyes, and redrew her in bright cherry red pastels. She got oodles of awards and kudos for her work. Another classmate did a pencil portrait of Bob Dylan. I drew an oil pastel of ET. Fortunately, Spielberg was not in the building or he might have wanted a cut of the $5 offered to me for it. No one questioned whether the works we’d slaved over for hours and hours were now our own creation or not.

Years later, while in a Sunday painters club, someone brought up the usage of photos for creating art works. “I was told to change them by 10 percent,” one artist said.

Yep, that’s what I was taught, too.

There’s a big difference between a “copy” and a “transformation.”

We can’t all be wrong, can we? Millions of artists over the past hundred years have been redrawing, altering, and transforming photos to create our very own works of art.

Will it end with artwork?

Can Saturday Night Live be sued for parodying movies and television shows, such as their skit making fun of the Today Show which aired on February 7th? What about quoting famous authors? The next time I’m hired to give an inspirational speech at a convention, will I have to first run my lines by Penguin Books? “Call me Ishmael. I’m quoting Moby Dick, today. Where do I send the royalty check?”

What about Obama? It’s his face! Can he sue AP for taking his photo and then charging money for it? Does AP own the image of Obama or does Obama own his own image? What about the National Press Club who held the event where the photo was taken? Shouldn’t they get a cut? Where does it all end? Does the almighty dollar rule over common sense?

Warning to Martha Stewart: Kraft is calling and wants you to stop making macaroni and cheese. “Yes, I know your recipe is different, but it’s based on ours. You’ll have to recall all the books and tear that page out of your cookbook.”

“Hello, Thomasville Furniture? Chippendale wants their couch back. Just ship them all into the warehouse at 9th and Virginia Avenue and we’ll dispose of them for you.”

What about the AP website? It looks eerily familiar. Perhaps some code was copied. Hmm…

Just the thought of all the possible “copyright infringements” is exhausting.

What kind of artwork do we want for the next generation to enjoy? Are artists going to be scared into creating unrecognizable blobs of paint in fear that they’ll be sued, just in case someone claims that the painting was based on their photograph. “What’s the name of this painting again? Snowman in a snowstorm?”

I hope Fairey sticks to his guns and doesn’t settle. I hope AP rethinks their charges. Artists of all kinds need to feel free to base their works of art on a variety of inspirations. What makes all creative works enjoyable is that connection between man and his environment. There’s nothing more rewarding than the discovery of new ideas assimilated from old, such as new scientific conclusions based on old theories. We don’t live in a vacuum. We are all interdependent upon each other’s thoughts and ideas which we use to form our own.

The Crowd Goes Wild. World Series? No, Just Politics

You can bet on both sports and elections on Gamblerspalace.com

For nearly a year my husband, a diehard Obama supporter from day one, has been completely obsessed with news coverage of the national presidential election. He reads the newspaper from cover to cover, then reads more papers online. His favorite form of relaxation? -- Sitting in front of MSNBC news munching Kettle Chips while guzzling a can of Diet Coca-Cola.

“It’s like you’re following your favorite sports team,” I said to him, one day this summer.

“Yeah, I guess it is like that,” he agreed.

Consider the comparisons:

PRIMARIES AND PLAYOFFS

Since January, Presidential candidates have competed with each other to win two coveted spots, the Republican or Democratic party nominations. Likewise, since April, Major League Baseball teams have competed with each other to win two coveted spots, the American or National League Championships.

The winners of the political party nominations go on to compete in the national election for the United States Presidency. The winners of the baseball league championships go on to compete in the World Series.

STATISTICS AND SCORECARDS


Charts and maps are published. CNN posts a “racehorse” scorecard with red-white-and-blue Democrat donkeys running neck and neck. Bets are placed in Las Vegas. The news media goes wild. John Edwards, the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate from the 2004 election, drops out at the end of January after receiving a handful of delegates. Hillary Clinton wins California in the Super Tuesday, February 5 primary election and must simply defeat Obama to go on to compete in the World Series of politics, the National Election.

It’s September 30, 2008 and the Chicago White Sox of Illinois have just beaten the Minnesota Twins to advance to the American League Division Series championship. They are favored to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, the worst ranked team of 2007.

Statistics are recorded. A June 2, 2008 poll by the Daily Yonder shows that rural voters favor Clinton 56.6% to 43.4% for Obama. I don’t see how Obama can pull it off.

But wait a minute. Does Barack Obama still have a chance? Will the underdog defeat the favorite? I think so. He’s still in the running. Look at ‘em go! February 12 primaries earn him the delegates from Virginia, Maryland, and DC, enough to push him slightly ahead of Clinton.

In a surprise upset Tampa wipes out the Chicago White Sox on October 6, 2008 by winning all of the first four games in a row. They’ve advanced to play the Boston Red Sox on October 10.

ONLY ONE STAR PLAYER

In January of 2008, Rudy Giuliani attempted to win the Republican party nomination by campaigning only across the state of Florida. The headline of the St. Petersburg Times reads, “Giuliani bets all on Florida.” (Photo from CNN).

That’s kind of like China putting all of their faith in Yao Ming at the Olympics this summer. He’s a great player and towers over most competitors, just as Florida has a lot of delegate votes. But putting all your eggs in one basket rarely works. The United States defeated China 101 to 70. Rudy Guliani only earned 15 percent of Florida’s delegate votes, compared to McCain’s 35 percent and Mitt Romney’s 31 percent (according to the Jan. 29, 2008 New York Post).

CONFLICTED LOYALTIES

Eenie-Meenie-Minie-Moe

I myself, am conflicted. Early in the election, I am rooting for my longtime-favorite, Hillary Clinton, but I do admire my “homeboy,” former NC Senator, John Edwards. My husband, on the other hand, is a staunch Obama supporter.

In the 2006 Superbowl, I was also torn. Four teams were in the playoffs and I had allegiances to three of them. I grew up in North Carolina where we had no team at the time, so I became a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan instead. I still have my black and gold Steelers knit cuffed hat with a tassel, practically a relic, from the 1970s Superbowl wins. However, North Carolina, the place where I was born and raised and where most of my family still reside, now has its own NFL team, the Panthers, who will also compete in the playoffs. To divide allegiances further, my husband was rooting for the Seattle Seahawks, the team he grew up with in Seattle.

In the end, I didn’t care if any of my three teams won. I would still be happy. Similarly, I didn’t care if Clinton, Edwards, Obama, or any other candidate won the Democratic primary, as long as they won the big race, the White House. Any Democrat is better than none.

OUTRAGEOUS SELLS

Click HERE to see Gina Gershon as Sarah Palin

The Republican party Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has been branded “Caribou Barbie” after the news media learns that she is a gun-toting former beauty queen. She is parodied on Saturday Night Live, earning the comedy show its best ratings ever of a estimated 14 million viewers, according to the NY Daily News.

Dennis Rodman – AP photo from 1996

It’s 1993 and NBA basketball star, Dennis Rodman, best known for playing for the San Antonio Spurs and later for the Chicago Bulls, has begun to dye his hair red, blue, and purple. His flamboyant lifestyle attracts the attention of the rich and famous and he has an affair with Madonna as well as a ten-day marriage to Carmen Electra. He publishes an autobiography, “Bad As I Wanna Be,” and wears a wedding dress to promote the book. Despite leaving the NBA in 2000, he is still a huge crowd pleaser to this very day. He’s starred in movies, wrestled professionally, and been a contestant on numerous reality TV shows, including Celebrity Mole where he won the $220,000 grand prize. He currently hosts a blog on Opensports.com.

SCANDALS

During the presidential campaign on October 10, 2007, the National Enquirer accused Democratic candidate John Edwards of having a secret extramarital affair with Reille Hunter, a documentary filmmaker he hired to film his campaign. In December, an Enquirer article accused Edwards of fathering Reille’s child, and said that one of his aides, Andrew Young, had set up house for her in a posh home supplied by a campaign donor. Although Edwards denied the allegations, the rumor handicapped his performance and he quit the presidential race in late January, 2008 after voters put him in a distant third to Hillary and Obama. (NOTE: In an August 2008 ABC interview with Bob Woodruff, Edwards admitted to the affair, but said the child was not his.)

L’Equipe cover, “Armstrong, the lie”

Bicyclist Lance Armstrong, seven time winner of the Tour De France from 1999 to 2005, and cancer survivor, is accused of doping. A book titled L.A. Confidential is released in 2004 where Armstrong’s former masseuse, Emma O’Reilly, claims she helped cover signs of his drug use by disposing of syringes and covering needle marks with makeup. A former teammate, Steve Swart, claims he and Armstrong began using drugs in 1995. Also, a test in 1999 did show traces of steroid use. Armstrong agrees to more drug testing, denies any drug use, and argues that his rigorous training schedule and self-discipline are what really led to his victories. However, Armstrong retires from bicycle racing -- the negative publicity isn’t worth the hassle. (Info from Wikipedia)

INJURIES

After the 134th Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008, second place winner Eight Belles, a crowd favorite, had to be euthanized after losing the race to Big Brown. She has broken both her front ankles during the post-race cool down.

Only four weeks before the election, Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani backs out of the 2000 Senate race against Hillary Clinton after discovering he has developed prostate cancer. Clinton, already leading slightly, is able to race past Giuliani and win the NY State Senate seat. Fortunately, Giuliani recovers from his cancer, but to this day, Clinton is still secure in the coveted Senate seat. (Giuliani may have an opportunity to win the seat if Clinton leaves for a position in Obama’s cabinet.) 

THE UNDERDOG SQUEAKS BY

It’s June 3, 2008 and the presidential race is still on. After competing neck and neck, Obama has pulled away in burst of energy and just won North Carolina. Obama has 2201 delegate votes to Hillary’s 1896. Hillary is out. Obama is the Democratic candidate! What an upset! Obama will run against Rebublican candidate, John McCain in the national Presidential election.

It’s October 19, 2008 and the Tampa Bay Rays of Florida have beaten the Boston Red Sox of Massachusetts in game seven of the American League Playoffs! By golly, the underdog has done it! Tampa will play its first World Series! Whoopie!

MARKETING AND MOTTOS

The new Tampa Bay Rays logo features sun rays. 

The new Obama logo features a rising sun.

The new Tampa motto is, “We are one team.” 

Obama says, “We are one nation.”

The year before the season began, Tampa Bay decided to revamp their image. They dropped the name, “Devil” and became simply, “The Rays.” Their team colors are now navy and Columbia blue with gold accents. The iridescent green and pterodactyl-like stingray are gone. Their new logo is cleaner and brighter and evicts sun rays instead of sting rays.

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg announces in a press release, “We are now the Rays.” Tampa Bay Rays president announces the new team motto in the St. Petersburg Times, “We are one team!”

Similarily, Barack Obama has also revamped his campaign image. Marketing firms Sender LLC and mo/de worked together to create the ingenious, “O” logo, an “O” for Obama containing a rising sun evoking a sense of hope. (see Jan. 3, 2008 Under Consideration.) The logo proves extremely versatile and can be used not only in place of the letter “O” in the spelling of states, such as in flOrida, and Ohio, but can also be customized to promote individual pack support groups, such as adding stars for Veterans, or a rainbow for Gay and Lesbians.

“We are one people,” and “We are one nation,” says Obama in his campaign speeches.

MERCHANDISING

Christina, Denise, and Elizabeth Cabicano celebrate a Rays victory. MLB photo.

In September 2008, Tampa Bay Online reports that the Tampa Bay Rays have sold nearly double the merchandise in 2008 over the previous year due to the new logo and team colors. This years winning season is attributed with increasing sales further another 25 percent.

Floridians are getting ready for the Major League playoffs. Businesses deck themselves in Tampa Rays regalia in preparation for the seven game World Series. The Clearwater Publix grocery stores are selling shirts reading, “Beat the Phillies.”

Websites featuring Obama merchandise are created. The August 17, 2008 Boston Globe reports that Obama merchandise is flying off store shelves. Entrepreneurial t-shirt designers and printers walk among crowds at Obama rallies, hawking their wares. On November 4, 2008, At the DNC headquarters where I worked, a woman was offered $50 for a campaign button she got for $1. While at an Orlando Magic Game, I am offered an autographed Dwight Howard jersey, a $300 value, in exchange for my official Obama t-shirt I received for a $15 donation.

A few weeks before the general election, the nation becomes polarized. Republicans wear red. Democrats wear blue. Yard signs and bumper stickers announce the owner’s favorite “team.”

NON-STOP NEWS COVERAGE

Logo for Decision 2008 is from: TheTimesHerald.com

TV commercials and news broadcasts are dominated by politics and sports. As my grumpy Republican father noted, “You can’t turn on the television without seeing something about either the election or the World Series.”

On MSNBC, my husband discovers Countdown with Keith Olbermann, hosted by a former sportscaster and news anchor who has evolved into a liberal political news commentator. Olbermann delivers election news the way he used to deliver sports news -- with zest, passion, and fury.

My husband and I begin to only watch WKMG, Local6, since it is the only local news channel in our area that gives equal time to the Democratic candidate visits and isn’t biased in favor of the Republicans.

ACCUSATIONS OF CHEATING

My husband and I watched with dismay in 2006 as officials essentially hands the Superbowl to the crowd favorite, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although I had no allegiance to either team, it disturbed me that professional officials would be allowed to show blatent favoritism for one team over another. Videos are posted on Youtube showing proof of bad calls by officials. Newspapers publish angry letters. Petitions are circulated requesting a change in the way officials are paid so there cannot be a conflict of interest. Columnists and bloggers say the Seahawks were robbed. (See Feb. 6, 2006 Sports Pulse blog for a list of bad calls. See Feb. 8, 2006 ESPN Sports Nation, Feb. 6, 2006 Sportscolumn, Feb. 8, 2006 East Carolinian, Apr. 1, 2006 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 7, 2006 Seattle Times, Feb. 6, 2006 Washington Post, Feb. 5, 2006 Seattle Times.) 

The image of Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, giving a sheepish grin to the official almost as if to say, “You can’t blame me for trying,” after he edged forward to push the ball over the line after the play was already ended, will forever be burned in my brain. The official gave him the touchdown. It was an eye opening moment for me and my delusions of fair play were crushed. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren protested the call, but official Referee, Bill Leavy, upheld it. Even Roethlisberger himself later admitted it wasn’t a touchdown on David Letterman. (See Feb. 10, 2006 Oberlin Review)

After a very close presidential election in 2000 between Al Gore and George Bush, the outcome was finally decided by the Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, a Republican and co-chair of Bush’s campaign. Voters had used paper punch ballots which lined up incorrectly and sometimes did not punch all the way through, jamming reader machines, and causing incorrect results. Recounts revealed several flaws in the system: there were more votes recorded than registered voters in one county, about 175,000 votes had been thrown out due to either two votes or no votes, and 58,000 suspected felons were not allowed to vote (only about 5,800 should have been removed) after being taken off voter registrations by Harris and Governor, Jeb Bush, George Bush’s brother (See investigation in Apr. 29, 2004 the Nation). Since Bush won by less than 600 votes, the 52,200 voters who were not allowed to vote might have given the election to Gore.

Fortunately, unlike professional football, many measures have been taken in Florida to help ensure that elections results are accurate. Florida now uses a paper ballot where the voter fills in their choices with a black pen. The forms are fed into a machine where they are read and locked inside so they cannot be fed again. Early Voting was instituted to give voters more time to work out registration problems. Democrats enlisted hundreds of lawyers to assist anyone turned away at the polls. 

Fraud caused by dual voting is still possible (although very illegal), by voting in two states, usually by absentee ballot or early voting. This problem could be solved with a national registry based on Social Security numbers instead of registering using names and addresses.

VICTORY PARTIES

World series victory photo from “Press of Atlantic City.”

October 30, 2008 and the Phillies have cinched the World Series after several snow delays. Champagne corks are popped, fireworks explode, and fans gather in the streets to celebrate.

Obama victory party at Grant Park from the Windycitizen.com

November 4, 2008 and crowds gather in the street to celebrate Barack Obama’s election win. My friend Selma calls me from Seattle to let me know that people are partying on Capitol Hill. Television news stations show live shots of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Georgia, Times Square in NY, and Grant Park in Chicago.

AFTER THE ELECTION DEPRESSION

It’s been over a week since the election and I’ve found myself wallowing in “what do I do with myself, now,” pity. The excitement after winning has nearly worn off. The sign waving -- a distant memory. The new President is now picking his cabinet. I am finally ready to put away my Obama mementos for future placement in a scrapbook.

The let down is a bit like the “after the Superbowl” or “World Series” feeling. Your team won or lost. The media has hashed and rehashed it. Now, it’s time to get on with your life.

Good thing I bought Orlando Magic tickets. Mom, can you please knit me a bright blue and white hat for Christmas, one with a tassel?

A Week of Republican Hand Holding

The face on the tiki tissue box at left, sold in many stores, looks eerily familiar.

Can I get you a tissue? Would you like a shoulder to cry on? Yes, I know, I know. You really don’t like the Democrats. Sigh…

It was this week that I discovered what sore losers Republicans are after losing the “big race,” the Presidential election. Come on, guys, get a grip! Everything’s going to be great! Relax. Just wait and see!

My father was the first grumbler to contact me, by emailing me that McCain and Palin were “lucky” to not win the election since the economy is in such horrific shambles. Hmmm. Sour grapes?

My friend, Selma, who works for me in Seattle, told me she was wearing the American Flag pinned upside down on a red sweatshirt. “It’s a sign of distress,” she said, “Because that’s what we’re in, a time of distress.” Poor Selma, Bless her heart!

My Cousin, Carla, who lives in hurricane ravaged New Orleans, sent me an article from the ultra conservative, Carolina Journal online, dated Nov. 4, about how the Democrats want to “spread the wealth,” by seizing private 401Ks and IRAs and roll them into the social security program. Gullible, you say? Since when did Democrats become Socialists? I consoled Carla – there’s no way this will happen.

I reminded Carla that I had just lost a substantial bit of money when the Bush administration seized Washington Mutual Bank, dissolved the stocks *poof!* and turned over the assets to JP Morgan Chase. Talk about socialization! Talk about spreading the wealth! “This is real,” I reminded her, not just an opinion, such as the doom and gloom in the article you sent me. (See the Nov. 9 Seattle Times.)

Since before the election, hundreds of fear mongering emails have circulated claiming that if Obama is elected, his administration will come into your house, take away your guns, rip the babies from your teenage daughter’s wombs, suck dry your bank account, dissolve the military, and make Islam this country’s national religion. All I can ask, is please consider the news source. Is it the New York Times where you heard this? How about the Washington Post? USA Today? A major metropolitan newspaper? Was it even a real newspaper? Or was it a blog, such as this one? Or an email? Or, God forbid, FOX News?

A “legitimate” news source will be part of the “mainstream media,” (MSM) and most likely be a contributing member to a newswire service, such as the Associated Press, which requires their reporters to be, “dedicated to the same standards – fairness, balance, and accuracy.” Before the election season, the newspaper where my husband works issued this reminder: “News staffers are encouraged to be involved in their communities to the extent that such activities don't create real or apparent conflicts or interest. Involvement in politics, demonstrations, and social causes that would create conflicts of interest or the appearance of such conflicts should be avoided. News staffers should avoid any public political activity, including contributions. They should not run for office, sign political petitions or campaign for any candidate or political cause.” This doesn’t mean that newspapers don’t sometimes print one-sided pieces. However, the difference is that these will appear on the opinion, humor, and editorial pages, not in the news sections.

So, who really wants to slander Obama? Who wants to spread false rumors about him so that people lose their trust in him, thereby reducing his potential power to change the status quo?

The rich and powerful, of course. The owners of FOX News, for one, who will have to pay higher taxes, assuming the new administration will have its way. Greed of money is the strongest motivator for political manipulation. I ask these movers and shakers, do you really need that extra 4.6% in taxes that you will have to pay under Obama’s tax plan? How much money do you really need to live on? Isn’t fixing our troubled nation more important?

I did some research and learned that a person earning, say one million dollars a year, will pay 39.6% in Federal income tax instead of the old rate of 35%. (Social Security will only be taxed up to $106,800 in 2009 according to Wikipedia’s segment on income tax).

Here’s a comparison:

Tax on $1,000,000 for 2008:
Social Security: 6.2% x $106,800 = $8,170
Medicare: 1.45% x $1,000,000 = $14,500
Federal Income Tax: 35% x $1,000,000 = $350,000

Total tax: $372,670 (without deductions)
Take home: $627,330

Tax on $1,000,000 for 2009:
Social Security: 6.2% x $106,800 = $8,170 (same)
Medicare: 1.45% x $1,000,000 = $14,500 (same)
Federal Income Tax: 39.6% x $1,000,000 = $396,000

Total tax: $418,670 (without deductions)
Take home: $581,330 

That’s still a lot of jelly beans! You should be so lucky. Federal income tax of 39.6% is really not that high. According to Wikipedia, as recently as 1981, a person earning $1,000,000 would have paid 70% in Federal Income tax, or $700,000 per year without deductions. In 1954, they would have paid 91% or $910,000 per year, without deductions.

Other than high income earners, the only other individual I know personally who might have a legitimate worry is my dear friend, Mirabella, who is the ultimate capitalist. She runs a novelty item manufacturing company where most of her products are made overseas in China, currently her cheapest option.

Due to policy changes under the Obama administration, Mirabella will be motivated to move her outsourcing to factories located here in the United States, maybe even to here in Florida where WKMG Local 6 news reported that 8,000 job applicants showed up for a job fair in Orlando on Wednesday, Nov. 12 where only 2500 candidates were expected, so many that some were turned away. At the time, the Workforce Central Florida website listed only 946 open positions. Moving your manufacturing back to the United States could be a good thing – it’s hard to sell products to people with no jobs.

Today, the U. S. Department of Labor issued a report that 43 percent of the over 200,000 jobs lost in the past month nationwide were due to – you guessed it – a decrease in business demand, a.k.a. no customers.

I understand why the Republicans are afraid. I was once a Republican myself. Although I did not vote for Bill Clinton in the 1992 election, and did not even like Bill Clinton at the time, my life benefited exponentially over the course of President Clinton’s administration. A couple of years after Clinton took office, things began to look up for me personally.  Jobs suddenly seemed much more plentiful; prices of food and goods more affordable; I was finally able to qualify to buy a house; and I received good healthcare. I changed my political affiliation to Democrat in 1994. I was a true convert.

So, my message to my dear Republican friends: Just relax. Everything will be okay. Changes will come, but they will be for the better. I promise!

Maybe, even for you, Mirabella…

What is a Political Blog without an Election Prediction?

My optimistic prediction map, thanks to USA Today’s electoral vote tracker which allows web viewers to create their own map.

It’s 6:00 AM on the East Coast on election day and I’m finally posting my predictions for the upcoming 2008 election. By this time tomorrow, we will all have a clear idea of who our next President of the United States of America will be.

My prediction, Barack Obama will win by a landslide!

Thanks to the magic of the internet and the incredibly talented designers at USA Today, Juan Thomassie, Josh Hatch, and Lisa Tanger, I can create my own personal electoral map. You can do this yourself by going to: www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/electoral-vote-tracker.htm

My optimistic prediction has Obama winning by 369 electoral votes, mostly by taking the states along the Mississippi valley, the West Coast, and Northeast.

Remember Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards and how he lost his own state of North Carolina in 2004? My prediction is that Sarah Palin will lose Alaska even though it has historically gone Republican. What an upset that will be!

However, beloved sons McCain will win Arizona, Obama will win Hawaii, and Biden will win Pennsylvania.

Colorado will go to Obama. The environmentalists have moved in.

Montana will also go to Obama. The unique people there, part environmentalist, part blue collar intellectuals, are hurting terribly from the horrible economy.

Georgia will go to Obama, riled up by the excitement of electing an African American candidate.

North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia will go to McCain. These are the states of the old south, the good ol’ boys.

The Midwest states from Texas north to North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah will also go to McCain. I drove through this area when moving to Florida in 2007 and got a chance to listen to the political talk shows on local radio stations and view the TV news broadcasts. It’s like a different world here. My guess is that the majority of voters here believe that Obama is the anti-Christ.

West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana will surprise everyone by voting for Obama. My reasoning? Recent college graduates, feeling liberated from their conservative upbringings will come out in droves and vote Democrat. College grads carry cell phones, not land lines, and can't be polled. Middle class white workers can’t afford healthcare and want lower taxes.

Although I myself live in Florida, I’m sad to say I don’t think Obama will win here. There are simply too many closet white supremacists living here. If Obama does win, I will have a new appreciation and respect for the residents here. I will no longer keep my bedroom window open at night so that I can keep an eye on the Obama sign in my front yard, hoping no one steals it… again!

In Florida, there is also a lot of voter fraud, particularly among what I like to call, “dual voters,” individuals who vote twice, usually in two states. While standing in line for early voting in Florida, my friend and her fiancé, Ryan, argued about him voting twice. Ryan, a diehard Republican, had just moved from Texas where he’d voted absentee. His argument, “I still own land there.” Channel 9, WFTV found over 100,000 voters registered in both Orange County, Florida as well as in Georgia and Ohio. In some cases, these are students who get absentee ballots from their home state, but also register in Florida. In other cases, these are retired “snow birds” who live in northern states in the summer and Florida in the winter. Better not do it, despite how tempting it may be. It’s a felony punishable up to ten years in jail.

This isn’t the first time I’ve personally witnessed possible dual voting. In the 2004 election, I volunteered for the Washington State Democrats and went door to door on election day reminding people to vote. My “boss” and I found one house with two addresses, one facing the north and another out the back door facing a road to the south. The guy was registered twice under the same name. I suggested we tell an authorities, but my well-meaning boss said “Shh! He’s voting Democrat!”

Obviously, the United States of America needs to create a national voting registry based on Social Security numbers.

I created a less than optimistic prediction map, but I’m not going to bother posting it. In all scenarios I played with on the USA Today website, Obama wins, anyway. We might as well enjoy a landslide!