We could on and on about McCain's pick, but I am going to let a McCain Top Advisor do the talking:

"She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long."

-Charlie Black, Top McCain Advisor

It don't get better than that.

An Ontario library banned a knitting group attended by 6-10 year old girls, ostensibly because they weren't focused enough on literacy, while retaining video games nights that the article says "attract a younger crowd." Younger than 6-10? Seriously? Or could it be, perhaps, that video game nights are more likely to attract boys?

Has anyone seen the newest Maytag commercial that is airing?  I can't find it anywhere on the web yet, so I can't link it.  But if you watch the clip below, Lou Dobbs shows you some of the commercial (if you are getting an error from CNN's new video service here is a direct link):

The commercial ends with the Maytag Repair Man showing the voters the problem - paper ballots with lots of hanging chads were clogging the machine.  He then says "Gotta go. Busy day."

Is this "ha ha" funny?  Isn't this issue a bigger concern than can/should be relegated to a pop culture wink?  Especially since it doesn't seem to be getting any closer to being solved.  When I saw this commercial it really irritated me.  Am I overreacting?  

I'm surfing the interweb with the local news on in the background, and I hear a blurb about how "reporters thought they were at a press conference where McCain would announce a nominee. Instead, they got a surprise endorsement by a Latin Grammy winner."

Who do you think it was? Ricky Martin? Shakira?

"Ladies and gentleman.... DADDY YANKEE!"

Soooo funny. For the whities out there who don't know, Daddy Yankee is sorta like Sean Paul, only more street cred and less "white-people-cred"; cooler and dirtier. So it's funny in that sense, and even funnier to see McCain kissing the ass of someone called "Daddy Yankee" because he suddenly remembers he needs to keep the Latinos on his side, and that he is severely lacking in cool points.

I bet Heidi Montag is at home pouting about the fact that she doesn't get her own endorsement press conference - she's pretty much begging for one and she's being ignored.

"Even with Heidi's "Hills" payday and Meg's massive beer fortune, the two hit up the paps for the $5.50 valet charge. Not very Republican." Actually, asking people who have less money than you to pay for your luxuries sounds pretty Republican to me. Zing!

A fellow KL blogger wondered, "who's awake at 3 a.m. to read text messages?"

It makes perfect sense to me:

Obama just wanted to prove that, despite what this ad implied, he is ready to answer that 3 a.m. phone call in the White House, or respond to that text, or to twitter...whatever we need, he'll be there at 3 a.m., with his thumbs on the keypad.

and the broken sinks in my kitchen and my bathroom, I wish I could forget about the ONE house I own.

John McCain will have his "staff get back to you" on how many houses he owns. He's not sure.

In Politics, Cheating on your Wife is Relative.

Thank you Mother Jones for nailing the double standard that exists for Republicans when is comes to cheating on their wives.

Since we are talking about the Republican National Convention...Guiliani as keynote? Really...no, really?

It's like they have never been to a national convention before, not to mention ever put one on. When you are supposed to showcase the next hopeful for your party you are putting on Guiliani? Old, corrupt and awash in loser stink Guiliani?

And Jindal speaking after the VP nom? huh?

Wow. I kinda think they are screwin' with us. Or the goal is to implode and rise from the ashes? I just don't get what they are thinking.

But, I am pleased as punch that we one step closer to never having to give Joe Lieberman the time of day again. Let's do all we can for a 60 seat majority.  Man, I hate him.

Ted Bunch is my new feminist hero.  He talks to abusers and calls them out on their crap ass behavior, including behavior such as catcalling and other forms of subtle dominance.

Jezebel has the story, with other links getting more in depth. I have long been tired of talking all about the victims and not discussing, or holding socially accountable, the perpetrators. Favorite huggable quote:

"Calling [violence against women] a woman’s issue serves men because then men don't have to get involved in it."

A Call To Men is one of the sites linked. Under 10 Things Men Can Do, this is number 7:

"Accept and own our responsibility that violence against women will not end until men become part of the solution to end it."

Kinda like Insurance Company Rules.

Apparently you can say something like, oh I don't know, how about "In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations" on Fox News without a hint of irony, a chuckle, or an oops and no one bats an eye. Ask John McCain - he has first hand experience.  

Our Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, today told the American Bar Association annual meeting that "not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime."

Damn, now I am confused. Imagine all those lawyers in the room.

Gotta go. I'm off to rob a bank, run a stop sign and if I have time maybe committ some light treason.

I don't want to engage in the culture of fear or anything, but this confirms something I have been worried about ever since Barack became a real contender. 

McCain's ads deriding Obama for his popularity do not help, either. Would-be presidential assassins typically suffer from paranoia; nobody needs to feed that with notions of "cults" and the Second Coming.

Sheila Pepe has a installation at the Smith College Museum of Art, a place she has an interesting connection to, which incorporates knitting done by members of the Smith College community. The installation will be up from July 11 - October 5, after which it will remain as part of the permanent collection.

Great response today by Obama on the McCain camp's mockery of Obama's good energy saving advice. (Ignore the jerky headline the poster put on it. Apparently he is anti, so I find it particulary poetic to use his posting of the clip).

I love when Obama laughs at them. 

 When you are done watching it, look at a great comment from someone on HuffPost on this issue.

Democrats Abroad has put together a site called Vote From Abroad to help make voting easy for ex-pats. There is also a video featuring the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow.

They even list every state's deadline for voter registration and to submit a ballot.

 I hope that by now we have all learned that to beat the Republicans we need every single vote. No matter where you are in the world, if you are a U.S. citizen, please vote!

Check out this installation from the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS' (DIFFA) Dining by Design Tour. For a close up photo, go to New York Magazine.

.

I might have gone with a darker color for dinner time, but the cream does show off the stitches nicely.

(found via Anticraft)

White House can't ignore subpoenas from Congress.  Who knew?

Oh, right, EVERYBODY.

And it actually has to do with knitting!

Our very own Spoons has again been complimented by the Yarn Harlot.

Spoons will tell you all about it.