Crazy Guide to the Internet

After his town hall meeting in Wilkes-Barre, Barack headed to Scranton to hold a town hall meeting there.

One person asked Barack how he would restore our image in the international community and build alliances with other nations.  He said:

When you don’t have allies, it’s a lot harder to get stuff done.  U.S. interests are not met.  That’s why it’s so important to build alliances.  Building alliances means listening to other countries.  A lot of our European allies are concerned about climate change.  We should be too, but for the first seven years that Bush was in office, he said it was a hoax.

…There’s no magic formula for creating allies.  It’s like dealing with anyone else.  We’re going to listen to their concerns, show them respect and dignity.  That’s what I’m going to do as President of the United States.

Another person asked Barack how he will protect the environment and reduce pollution.  He responded:

I’m going to set up a cap and trade system on the emission of gases.  If you pollute, then you’ve got a pay a price.  If you stop polluting or you reduce your pollution, you can make money.  It’s worthwhile from an investment perspective to be environmentally sound. 

We put a cap and trade system in for sulfuric acid and basically ended acid rain.  American ingenuity is always up to the challenge.  I’m going to make sure that natural gas companies should not be able to simply pollute when the rest of us bear the costs of it. 

We need your help to reach out to undecided voters in Pennsylvania! Stop by your local office to volunteer or make some phone calls!

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On April 12th and 13th, women from across the country will be traveling to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as part of the Weekend of Women.

These two days of canvassing, phonebanking, house parties and fundraisers are part of a major push to reach undecided women voters as part of our Pennsylvania Get Out The Vote campaign. There is no better way to connect with voters than through one on one, peer to peer contact, and this is a unique opportunity to impact a key voting bloc in the final days before the Pennsylvania primary.

Here’s a message from Becky Carroll, National Director of Women for Obama:

Dear friends,

With less than four weeks left before the last batch of Dem primaries kick off – beginning with Pennsylvania on April 22nd – we hope that you are ready to hit the road to meet us in Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina and other key primary states!

Our first, major push with women in this last leg of the primary season starts in Pennsylvania the weekend of April 12 and 13 – join women from across the country and in Pennsylvania as they unite to recruit undecided women throughout the state. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate the breadth and diversity of support that Senator Obama has among all of you – we can make the difference in PA! All you need to do is pack up your bags for Philadelphia or Pittsburgh!

This weekend will include a pre-canvass rally on Saturday with special guest speakers, followed by canvassing activities – phone banks, door to door, house parties and other activities – throughout the day and a low dollar Women for Obama fundraiser in Philadelphia for those who want to mix and mingle with old and new friends afterwards. Specific details on location of the rally and fundraiser will follow in the next several days. So book your flight or train ticket or be ready to drive out to Philly or Pittsburgh!

The campaign will provide supporter housing on a first-come, first-serve basis. Reduced hotel room rates will also be available. We can also help match you with women driving into PA from your area if you should need a ride. Whatever you do, don’t miss this opportunity to show the country that women are the backbone this is historic campaign!

Please sign up for the Weekend of Women, April 12/13, in PA by clicking on the link below and please share with others who should join us – invite your sisters, daughters, mothers, aunts and friends:

• SIGN UP HERE

- Becky Carroll, National Director of Women for Obama

Visit Women.BarackObama.com for more information.

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Dear Readers,

While it’s been a very exhilarating first day here at The Conglomerist, I’m disheartened by some of the commenters taking issue with my writing style, especially with regards to the word “irregardless.” While I take your concerns seriously, trust me, irregardless is a “real” word. I know because I went to dictionary.com and it’s right there:

ir·re·gard·less /ˌɪrɪˈgɑrdlɪs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ir-i-gahrd-lis]
-adverb Nonstandard.
regardless.
[Origin: 1910-15; ir-2 (prob. after irrespective) + regardless]

They even show you how to pronounce it. This begs the question: what’s the real motive behind these baseless attacks and accusations? I can only wonder. Haberdasher Communications is analyzing all the ip logs of these so-called “commenters” and I think we’ll all be very interested into seeing the results.

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This list of Amazon coupon codes for April makes me want to puke, irregardless of the fact that the only thing I ate all day was a small money salad. Only scumbags avoid paying full price. [ProBargainHunters]

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Irregardless of where the market is going, these tips for selling your gold jewelry, coins, and fillings will come in handy after I visit my grandma tonight. [Bankrate]

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Earlier today NBC News confirmed that Barack has gained a pledged delegate from the March 11th Mississippi primary: 

NBC News has adjusted the delegate count in Mississippi, giving one more to Obama and one less to Clinton. The count was 19-14 and now stands at 20-13. The official results were certified in Mississippi and Obama finished with a slightly higher statewide vote result than originally indicated, 62.5% to 37.5%. That result broke a threshold and triggered the extra delegate.

Additionally, final tallies from Saturday’s Texas County Conventions confirmed that Barack won the total Texas delegate count 99-94, after the remaining nine caucus delegates were allocated 7-2 for Obama.

Thanks again to all our supporters made phone calls, canvassed, and organized in Mississippi and in Texas. Today’s news confirms just how hard you worked, and shows the impact you were able to make.

You can track the full results of the primaries and caucuses at our Results Center.

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On November 7th, 2006, at age 20, Matthew S. Delligatti was elected as the youngest council member in the city of Fairmont, West Virginia’s history. Recently, Delligatti announced his formal endorsement of Barack Obama:

It is a truly rare occurrence that a person can ignite the otherwise tamed resource of our nation’s youth. I remember in high school being drawn to President John Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. not just because of what they did or what they stood for, but because they asked that generation what they could do and inspired them to achieve it. This opportunity has come again.

… When I decided to run for the council, my critics said I was too young and that I did not have enough experience. I was discounted from the start. What they didn’t know was the citizens of Fairmont were tired of the political bickering and the standstills that prevented us from moving into the future. The great people of Fairmont were ready for change.

Today, the United States of America is ready for change. Some people will say Senator Obama is too young or that he doesn’t know the ins and outs of Washington, but what they are really saying is that they want to cling to the political standoffs that are preventing us from solving the pressing problems that we now face. In my case the criticism at least had some semblance, but Senator Obama’s unique life experiences put him in a place to restore America’s standing in the world and heal our nation from the political battles of past administrations.  

… One of the primary reasons I am endorsing Senator Barack Obama for president is what he calls the politics of hope. Like me, he believes in uniting our citizens to work together for the common good. I have witnessed, on a local level, the detriment derived from divisive politics. When I stepped into office, I inherited years and years of schismatic local politics brought on by personal conflicts. This type of politics gives us policy that is not created out of compromise for the common good, but policy that is made in spite of a political rival for the interests of a select few. He understands this because he has lived this from his time on the streets of Chicago to his times in the halls of the Senate.

Read the full endorsement . . . 

Visit WV.BarackObama.com for more news and info from West Virginia, and to find out how you can get involved.

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In a surprising turn-around Walmart has decided to drop its effort to collect $400,000 in money awarded to a brain damaged former employee, says the Associated Press.

The world’s largest retailer said Tuesday in a letter to the family of Deborah Shank it will not seek to collect money the Shanks won in an injury lawsuit against a trucking company for the accident.

Wal-Mart’s top executive for human resources, Pat Curran, wrote that Shank’s extraordinary situation had made the company re-examine its stance.

Deborah’s husband Jim Shank welcomed the news. Family lawyer Maurice Graham of St. Louis said Wal-Mart deserves credit for doing the right thing.

‘It’s a good day for the Shank family,’ Jim Shank said in a statement.

Wal-Mart has been roundly criticized in newspaper editorials, on cable news shows and by its union foes for its claim to the funds, which it made in a lawsuit upheld by a federal appeals court.

Walmart says its internal rules required it to seek reimbursement for medical costs, but it has now revised those rules so that it can make exceptions in individual cases. Some experts think that Walmart is concerned about the issue attracting pressure from lawmakers.

The case put a spotlight on the growing use of reimbursement claims by health plans, experts say.

Roger Baron, professor of law at the University of South Dakota and a specialist in health-plan law, said health plans have become ‘very aggressive’ about subrogation since the 2006 Supreme Court decision.

‘It’s free money. They want the free money,’ Baron said.

Lynn Dudley, vice president for policy at the American Benefits Council in Washington D.C., said the negative publicity around the case was beginning to draw the attention of lawmakers who might want legislation to stop or limit subrogation.

‘Capitol Hill is paying attention,’ Dudley said.

Wal-Mart drops injured worker claim [AP]
(Photo:CrawfishPie)

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