Disclaimer....I HATE candidate diaries and have said I would never write one. That being said....

A campaign rally at Bartow Arena on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham drew over 11,000 people this afternoon. WOW!!! This event was announced on Thursday. I, like most , cancelled prior a prior engagement to be here. (By comparison Huckabee drew 2,200 here yesterday). The crowd was predominantly African-American, although the audience was diverse; drawing white, black, young, old, wealthy, poor, college students, elementary students, democrats, independents, and even republicans, who proudly identified themselves as such during Obama's speech.

There is one thing all the people attending today have in common....

I've donned the Hazmat outfit and am going headfirst into the filth and slime of Freeperville......so you don't have to. Choice qoutes below the fold....

I'm going to share with you my Saturday night. It is a story of going outside the box (way outside) and one of hope for this country, in places I never expected...

A normal Saturday night for me is rather lame. I don't have kids, but don't really do much besides hang out at home with my wife reading and commenting on WYFP!!!. Sometimes I'll have a football or baseball game on, as I'm a marginal fan. This night was different. As most of you 30 somethings without kids know, finding other 30 somethings without kids is difficult, let alone liberal leaning ones...in Alabama.

Well, in the last few weeks, we found a new couple friend. Actually, my wife did. A teacher at a her school. (We're both teachers, different school). Her boyfriend is a huge MIssissippi State football fan and they go to all the games. Just happens that MSU was playing my alma mater (UAB) that night in Birmingham.

Wow. More breaking news this morning. A flight has been diverted to Boston. It's too early to tell why and if this has anything to do with terror.

I, for one, am getting sick and tired of the framing of terror. Just yesterday NPR described Republicans as saying the Democrats are soft on terror while saying the Democrats accuse Republicans of "politicizing terror".

BULLFUCKINGSHIT!!!! - This is where Democrats have to get a FUCKING spine and stand up to this. We need to shout loud that it is REPUBLICANS who are not keeping you safe. Instead of dealing with terror, we are fighting a war in Iraq that has nothing to do with the WOT.

ARRRRGGH!!!! This makes me so mad I want to scream obscenities. (That would be really bad since I am a high school teacher and my class is currently doing their work like little angels).

For years Charles Barkley has said he may one day run for Governor of Alabama. It has been widely assumed that he would do so as a Republican.

However, speaking to the Southern Regional Conference of the National School Boards Association, Barkley clarified his position a little bit:

"What I've said is I'm rich like a Republican. But I'm not one."

Charles would get a lot of support down here. It's good to see he would be on our side.

I, like many Kossacks, venture to RedState from time to time to see what the Wingnuts are saying. I usually go over there for comic value or to have my batteries recharged.

On my latest visit I came across this Front Page Post that truly caused me to lose respect for any Repug ever. These people (I'm not sure they deserve that title) actually believe the kinapping of the 4 Aid Workers in Iraq was staged. I'm not kidding. They seem to think they are anti-war lefties trying to make statement.

I guess they need a dismembered head to believe. How repulsive!