What motivation do they have to change the system by which they've thrived? McCain, Clinton, and Obama must serve the interests of the corrupt corporate class -- or else they would be marginalized.

Here in this crumbling empire once known as the American Republic, here in a nation that, at present, for all practical purposes, only produces Cheetos and killer drones, whose architecture is being winnowed down to thriving rural meth houses and foreclosed upon suburban mchouses, whose corrupt corporate culture has bequeathed upon our suffering planet dying oceans and the hyper-caffeinated tsunami of Red Bull Capitalism -- the essential question confronts us -- how does one retain (not retail) one's humanity amid the catastrophic machinery and inane accoutrement of our age?

by Cody Lyon

Vote because you can. Vote, because it matters and just so happens to be your right, some might say your duty, as an active citizen of these beautiful United States. Vote, because in the end, you'll respect yourself more if you participate in the process. Vote, since it could make a difference in some precincts where the tallies might be very close. Vote because almost every person in this country has relatives and ancestors who at one time in our nation's history, couldn't, simply because of their gender or race. Fortunately for all of us, they fought the hard fight, won the right, and now, we can all vote.

Vote because like working out, it makes you feel good and look better and you never know who you'll run into at the polls and perhaps you'll find someone like you, someone who actually cares.

Vote, and remember that in November, you'll need to vote again.

Vote,and keep in mind that whoever the person you support in this race will face a formidable candidate in November and that candidate will likely do whatever they can including the utilization of their party. The opposition party and its supporters will pull any number of tricks to de-rail your candidate. It will not be the kind exchange of ideas we've seen so far, the kissing of cousins, not the snip and snaps over issues or the mildly insulting rhetoric who said who and what did what, instead, rest assured, it could, most likely will, get very ugly, and who ever you vote for, must be strong enough to withstand sharp, well informed attacks as well as dirty tricks of those who engage in well funded swiftboat tactics. Your candidate must be able to use their intellect to respond with volleys of their own, that simply deflate the cheaper tactics we've seen in past general elections.

Regardless, hold on to vision, keep hope in your heart, believe in your system, realize that government can do good things for people and vote and vote and vote.

Go Vote with November in the back of your mind, then move it to the front and vote to win.

A respected national newspaper recently reported that Presidential candidate W. Mitt Romney's decision to suspend advertising in South Carolina and Florida "laid bare the dire condition of his run for the White House..."

Then Romney won going away in Michigan; a win that injected caffeine into his Postum and added more green to his already bulky bankroll.

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal, as well as The Peace Tree, the Independent Bloggers Alliance and Worldwide Sawdust.

One autumn evening several years ago, I needed to blow off steam after a stressful day at work. I was fed up the way employees often are in their jobs. You know that toxic feeling when your superiors are overpaid while contributing little to the effort other than gratuitous criticism, while those on your pay grade won't bust a nut to get the job done because they know you will? How often have you felt that way? I felt underpaid, under-appreciated, was mad as hell and ready to drown my anger in beer. It was self-pity really as plenty of people in this world had it far worse than me but I wasn't in a perspective mood.

So I walked about forty blocks south from my day job in mid-town Manhattan to clear my head until coming across a dive bar with sports on television and hardly any patrons. Perfect, that's just what I wanted. Typically, I'm not the sort to talk with strangers and certainly wasn't looking for any conversation this night. Somehow, I became engrossed in a three-way conversation with two middle-aged registered nurses. We talked about how friends, families, communities and countries gloss over pain and misdeeds through symbolism and empty platitudes.

The American people are very dissatisfied with the present state of affairs in their country. Polls taken in July revealed that less than 20 percent of Americans approve of the direction in which the United States is going. Furthermore, they are not naive as to the reason for this wrong direction: well over half the citizenry understands that a few billionaire tycoons have rigged our political system and media in order to advance their unfettered global business interests.

The Sun

Former Sen. John Edwards, left, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama during the Democratic presidential primary debate in Manchester, N.H., June 3, 2007.

I sort of watched last night's debate, when the bloviation reached the painfully embarrassing level I would switch channels in favor of a program about the physics of the Sun, about which it may not be possible to bloviate.

Switching back and forth between those two particular shows created a kind of auditory strobe effect, in one moment the undeniable reality of the physical processes taking place on the Sun, in the next the equally undeniable bullshit taking place in a suburb of our solar system known as New Hampshire.

One self serving statement followed another, charges of timidity and lack of leadership leveled by Edwards against Clinton and Obama, charges of being 41/2 years late with leadership leveled against Edwards by Obama.

I had just returned from the Sun when those barbs were hurled and it struck me that it was possible that no one on the stage possessed the ability to lead a rifle squad down the street to buy a newspaper.

They all had their moments I suppose but during one orbit I heard Clinton say:

"The differences among us are minor, the differences between us and the Republicans are major. And I don't want anybody in America to be confused."

From "Democrats Focus on Iraq In Contentious Second Debate" by  Anne Kornblut and Dan Balz at The Washington Post

That was a bit of truth because, although I might have to hold my nose to vote for her and others on the stage last night, I am not capable of the kind of confusion that would lead me to vote Republican.

In her truthiness however, Ms Clinton neglected to mention the incredible similarities between the Democrats and the Republicans in their insatiable eagerness to sell out to the highest corporate bidder.

Iraq and health care seemed to take up most of the debate and I don't remember hearing a word about campaign and ethics reform, no mention of the lizards of K Street and their influence in preventing the delivery of Health care and prescription drugs as well as their influence in going to war and prolonging it.

To be fair though, it may have come up while I was eight light minutes away.

Could this march to madness have been stopped in 2003 if highly regarded public figures had taken unequivocal stands against it? If Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and others had publicly supported the anti-war effort before the invasion could it have stopped the war machine? I have just lost any respect for David Gergen. He seemed like a even-handed commentator and a man of public spirit. Here's his interview on CNN:

Start of transcript:

Meanwhile, as the nation mourns the death of former President Gerald Ford, we are now learning he strongly disagreed with President Bush on the war in Iraq. And in a never before published interview, he bluntly called the administration's justification a big mistake.

CNN's Brian Todd has been following that story all day. Brian, what's the scoop?