When I lived in Michigan, Detroit had her share of problems, one of which as the ever-controversial late Mayor Coleman A. Young. He was brash, foul mouthed and confrontational. He was investigated numerous times with the feds, sparred constantly with suburban officials and hated Democratic governor James Blanchard with a passion. He had a few good traits such as good working relationships with former president Jimmy Carter and Republican governor William Milliken and, hey, the was entertaining to say the least.

http://www.nytimes.com/...

Toyota Motor sold nearly 300,000 more vehicles than General Motors in the first half of 2008 and appears to be on its way to ending G.M.’s 77-year reign as the world’s largest automaker.

Toyota said Wednesday that it sold 2.41 million vehicles in the second quarter, 2 percent more than a year ago. G.M. said its sales for the quarter fell 5 percent, to 2.28 million.

Both companies had record sales in emerging markets like China, but falling demand in the United States took a larger toll on G.M., whose lineup comprises more of the big trucks that consumers are shunning in response to high gasoline prices.

77 Years.

And now they are headed down to bankruptcy.

It's kind of sad in a pathetic, amusing way.

Has been in the media for the past few days, which in my opinion is a sham.
It involves two Muslim women wearing head scarves being turned away from the sector behind the podium to stand behind Obama during the rally.

This is not a full diary. I know.

I hear it now.

People will hold signs in protest.

Kos will come after me with the slings and arrows of protest.

Well, I hope in this one instance I will be forgiven. Shoot, maybe with my getting lost in my own words, usually my "emotions" which I do not talk about (After all, I am a (snark) conservative and we've no hearts and we like to do odd rituals with nuns and small packets of sugar.

(more after the break).

My original cartoon

Al Gore endorsed Obama last night in Detroit, my hometown.  He gave a rousing speech destined to rouse the spirits of idled autoworkers and students who tuition has risen each and every year of the Bush Residency.  He talked both in the speech and in the emails sent by the Obama Campaign and the Democratic Party, of how he will fight to ensure that Obama will win the Presidency.

Watching the Obama rally at Joe Louis Arena, some things really impressed me. The at-site GOTV teams were tenacious, the crowd was expectant. Even the usually dour ushers and working folks (who were indeed working that night) seemed upbeat. The unofficial T-shirt vendors were on the streets, and, yeah baby, this was like that big rock concert you've been to.

My impressions are my own. I think Jennifer Granholm needs to realize that she's not running for a Cabinet position, especially after hosing up the primary trying to bolster HRC. Probably following in her buddy Jim Blanchard's footsteps as a possible ambassador to Canada. But when she mentioned supporting Hillary there were noticeable boos.

And Barack called the crowd on that.

In Detroit, a festive crowd that was racially and generationally mixed started lining up outside Joe Louis Arena at midday.

Sen. Barack Obama brought his historic campaign to ground zero of the Rust Belt on Monday, asking 20,000 supporters at a raucous rally at Joe Louis Arena -- where he was endorsed by Al Gore -- to join him in his crusade of hope and faith.

The crowd greeted Obama like he was a rock star.

This is almost entirely, a picture thread from tonight's rally with Barack Obama and Al Gore.

Update: Widths fixed.

Al Gore To Endorse Obama Tonight

Well good news on the Belvedere Come Here Boy home front. I'll be with the crowd at Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit on Monday at 8:30 p.m.

Many here have had the chance to see the Man live, and we Michiganians were screwed early on in the primary season.

By going to Flint early in the day, he's definitely going to hit the economy hard, something McCain can't answer.

Barack is coming to Detroit! And I'm psyched. But it does raise a question: How should he deal with our so-called "mayor"? Common courtesy to one's host demands one response; ethics may well demand another. And on that note...

Kind of weird, but what I'm going to post below is NOT my diary...I am posting the following "open letter" on behalf of its author, a friend who is not a member here (yet), but who is interested in getting some of these thoughts out in the open. Since I agree that this issue warrants discussion - at least here in Michigan - I agreed to post the letter, although I don't necessarily subscribe to all of its tenets. Figured that others here might like to weigh in with their opinions.

J's letter is below the fold.

In her twice weekly column, Ann Hart Coulter, Conservative cheerleader and suspected closet lesbian,, said the following:

Quote:

Monthly casualties in Iraq now come in slightly lower than a weekend with Anna Nicole Smith. According to a CNN report last week, for the entire month of May, there were only 19 troop deaths in Iraq. (Last year, five people on average were shot every day in Chicago.) With Iraqi deaths at an all-time low, Iraq is safer than Detroit -- although the Middle Eastern food is still better in Detroit. - BUSH'S AMERICA: 100 PERCENT AL-QAIDA FREE SINCE 2001 (Via AnnCoulter.com)

You know, I really hate to be the person to say this to this......woman, and trust me, I use the damn term quite loosely.

I just saw this piece in the New Republic. It is priceless. Here is a taste:

"Some in the media are declaring the series over because the Boston Celtics have won four of the six games played so far. But I don’t understand why, with a series this close and hotly contested, anyone would want to shut it down before we play a seventh game and have all the results in. As anybody who follows the NBA knows, a seven-game series would be good for the league, and the added competition would make the eventual victor, whomever it might be, a stronger opponent against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals."

and

"But know one thing: If the media and league elites put the Celtics up against LA, they will lose, and we’ll be the first to say I told you so."

Here's the entire article:

http://blogs.tnr.com/...

Some much needed humor on a tense day.

There's an "echo bubble" from the housing market, which reflects an equally reckless pattern of consumption by Americans and a reckless lack of policies by the government over the last number of years.

For some time, I've felt that personal SUV use is an ethical and even patriotic issue.

I personally think, given the geo-political situation, it's downright un-American to drive those things without a compelling personal reason.

Hey, I like appropriating right-wing memes for our use! It's fun. :)

I've been a seriously angry driver for some time over the huge collection of sport-utility vehicles on our nation's roads. Well now, finally, people are starting to get a clue.

Barack has been pandering to the monstrous corporations he has denounced many times in the past. This week he pandered to the loser Detroit auto industry.

Detroit -- The Red Wings are winning, but the fans aren't filling the seats. Mitch Albom asked "why?" The fans told him straight. No money for gas. No money for parking. No money for eats. And, most definitely, no money for $300 seats!

Quite a few of Detroit’s dysfunctional city government leaders have been making the national news for months now because of their crazy actions.  Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is in a class by himself, embroiled in numerous scandals involving bid rigging, police misconduct, perjury, adultery and the suspicious murders of not one but TWO strippers.  

Criminal behavior aside, City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, the wife of esteemed Congressman and House Judiciary Chair John Conyers may be one of the most disrespectful, egotistical, and inappropriately behaved elected officials we’ve seen around here in a long time and that’s really saying something.  She has gotten into at least one bar fight with a woman after demanding the woman’s boyfriend buy her a drink.  She's had public altercations with other City Council members and even threatened a member of the city's Pension Board with her gun.