Yesterday, I watched with grave concern as a convoy of riot-gear-clad cops were shown moving into a section of Denver where protesters were blocking downtown streets. You may have been politically concerned, too. We know that Faux News is salivating over the possibility of showing violent events directed at the Democrats in Denver.

But I am concerned personally, too. Deep in the heart of Denver, at ground zero for the Democratic National Convention, stands one cop--a cop who is a member of my family, a cop that I love very much. That police officer is there to protect the rights and safety of you as delegates and attendees to the Convention, and to protect the rights and safety of those who are protesting.

Like most of you, DKos has been my lifeline to sanity since Bush's second "election" in 2004. I have been awed by the expertise and insight, have doubled over at the blazing wit that crops up constantly and have been touched by the empathy and compassion shown by so many of you. I have come to value and trust the majority of the members of this community. That's why the current propensity of some posters here to characterize the cops as "not us" is distressing to me.

This is not meant to be a substantive diary.

However, when I saw that John McCain is scheduled to be at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota that newsflash seemed too good to keep to myself.

Many Americans are set to receive $600 checks over the next couple of months as part of George W. Bush's economic stimulus package. Unfortunately, some say it is not enough, citing the increased fuel and grocery costs currently hitting the beleaguered American consumer.

Now new information is emerging regarding the second part of Bush's economic plan to address these concerns.

The new program is called The Good Luck, Americans, Stimulus Program.

My support for John Edwards has never been for him vs. Hillary or Obama. It has always been about John Edwards vs. the corporations, the vast right wing conspiracy, the wealthy, and the elites.

I have spent my life as a teacher, therapist, social worker and professor trying to make a difference for those who have had the cards in life stacked against them. At several times during my life, there have been policies in place that supported my work, notably the policies articulated by John and Robert Kennedy and put in place by LBJ.

George W. Bush thumbs his nose at the American public more outrageously every day. Why? Is he trying to provoke us into impeaching him?

George W. Bush was in Brazil on Friday trying to present himself and his administration as compassionate conservatives to a whole new group of countries, since we in America have laughed that one off long ago. Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez and CITGO have donated $635,000 to help residents who are out of electricity, propane and wood heat their homes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Well, 'tis the season. The 2006 Christmas season (or holidays, if you prefer) are upon us. What are you doing reading this? Why aren't you out shopping? Don't you understand that you are no better than the terrorists if you aren't buying, buying, buying?

This is also the time of year when your reward for supporting our economy like a good patriot is that consumer abuse goes into high gear. It's  around the rest of the year too--the cable bill that includes Fox News as part of the unnegotiable package, the unnecessary indignities after you've paid for your ticket at the airport, the expensive health, home and auto insurances that aren't worth the paper they're written on. But this is the season when customer abuse is in your face.

When I was a child, my great-uncle owned an upscale menswear store in a mid-sized town. He and his salespeople lived and breathed the old adage, "The customer is always right." The customer was king in his store.  Preferences were respectfully solicited and honored. Everyone who worked in that store flat out appreciated their customers. After all, those customers' satisfaction represented job security. When was the last time you were treated like a valuable customer?

Ours is called a "service economy." So here's my question: Where's the service?  

     I hate cold-calling. In fact I absolutely loathe it. I hate it when people do it to me and I hate it worse when I'm the caller. So why do I find myself one night a week on the phone cold-calling? Because I can't live with myself if I don't volunteer to do SOMETHING about the abortion ban abomination that currently is law in South Dakota.
     Most voters in South Dakota have received the push poll in which one of the questions was "Would you vote to uphold the abortion ban if you knew there were exceptions for rape and incest?" Of course, there are no exceptions in the law for rape or incest or problems with the mother's health--the pregnancy continues unless the mother's death is imminent. Some people think they are voting on whether or not to restrict abortion. They do not realize we already have a standing law in place and the current vote is to undo that law. To see some of the responses I heard from SD voters follow me below the fold.

I've long been a political junkie, like many who come to DailyKos--strategizing, going door-to-door, persuading, policy making, meeting political stars, donating, experiencing the "agony of defeat" and the absolutely addicting high of winning. Sometimes, with all the activity, the fact that politics is about quality of life for all people can get lost in the shuffle. My son has just graduated from high school and I've been thinking a lot about what kind of quality of life he and his friends from the class of 2006 will have. There's more.