Tom's Petition

I received this email awhile back, but it got lost in a sea of spam and then I went on vacation. Better late, than never, I guess. Here it is:

I am writing to you and a few other bloggers asking for help. My name is Tom Mauser and my son Daniel was killed at Columbine High School.  If we don’t stand up to President Bush and the NRA right now, the assault weapons ban will expire and AK47s and Uzis will be back on our streets.
 
++++++++++
 
Here is what you can do to help:
 
1) Sign my petition to extend the assault weapon ban: Tom'sPetition.org
When you sign up, we will automatically create a bloggable Personal Petition Page.
 
2) Link to your Personal Petition Page from your site and encourage your readers to sign up.  Our special petition software will show you the number of people that sign up because of your effort, and even generate a map showing how the supporters are distributed across America.
 
++++++++++
 
Help honor the legacy of my son and prove that bloggers can make a difference!
 
Thank you,
Tom Mauser

For Edwards, I'll wait

Physically, I’m under the weather today. Politically, I’m feeling pretty good. Over the weekend, I developed a nagging case of Gephardtitist. I knew it wasn’t terminal, at least not for me, but it did leave me lethargic. That illness peaked early this morning when the New York Post was faked out of it shorts, but was replaced with a sore throat, slight fever and a headache by early morning. Nonetheless, it was, and is, an improvement. When my Gephardtitist was at its worst, I took repeated doses of viewing a certain aviation forum—a first for me, but I was admittedly desperate. I had even begun engaging in strained logic—not so much to qualify as a Republican, but still an uncomfortable experience for me. Here’s an example of such “logic” that I posted at The Daily Kos:

Okay, since it is rarely the expected choice and Edwards is the expected choice, that means it will be Edwards since Kerry is not expected to pick the expected choice, meaning he is not expected to pick Edwards...right?

I’m not proud of it. But I admit it.

I don’t have much new to add that I haven’t seen somewhere else. I think Edwards should put NC into play, but more importantly, I think he infuses an energy and vitality that will benefit the campaign across the country. He’ll attack with a smile and in regard to the anticipated Cheney debate I say—bring it on. He’s likeable, positive and closes well. In the waning days, undecideds seem to say, “I just like that guy.” I’ll take it. Not that the Presidency is a popularity contest, as evidenced by the popular vote in 2000 that left the free world scratching its collective head regarding our version of “democracy.” I can’t wait to see him and the misses on Oprah. And just think, for Edwards it all started on The Daily Show, uh, sorta.

I also think it helps down the ticket, particularly in NC and SC. Edwards has the ability to put the Democratic Party in a much better light in the South than it has been in a long time. The policies don’t even need to change, just the packaging. Don’t get me wrong. Barring a Bush collapse, which I hold out hope for, I only see a few Southern pick-ups as realistic—Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia. But I also think Edwards will play well in rural Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, West Virginia (no, it’s not the South), Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.

And while other future hopefuls may not like it, I like the idea of setting up Edwards for a future as President. Sure, some of us may need to change our plans, but I’m willing to put off running for 16 years if we get on a roll.