The Tao of Toctrine

I also could have called this the Dao of Doctrine, but it's not as much fun. So there is a Russian Orthodox Church in Cuba now. Hugo Chavez is having serious talks with the Russians for military support. I am sure that Monroe and Roosevelt are rolling over in their graves. I guess that was bound to happen though. When a person oversteps his bounds and starts telling other people how to live he is sure to find many disobey. That is the way of things.

Class Tech?

Oh sweet lord. Somebody get my protesting kit. Another teacher is trying to use technology in the classroom. This totally goes against my 29th Amendment right to not have my children influenced by the tools of the evil one... doesn't it?

They're People... and They Have No Homes

The title is the last part of one of my favorite lines in the movie Dirty Work. I can't believe it has been almost three weeks since I've blogged. Just to let you know what has been going on: I stopped hanging out at my wifi spot as much and started 'working' at a gym. I sat around all day to make sure the doors stayed open and nobody stole stuff. I've been working hard on this election and I'm feeling really confident that I'm going to do well. No matter how it turns out it has been a positive experience and I'm glad I have tried. Ok, now that we've caught up- on to the news.

The Georgia Supreme Court has said that part of the sex offender law that says that sex offenders have to register their address is unconstitutional because it is unfar to homeless people. Apparently, sex offenders started becoming homeless and since they didn't have a home to register they were getting arrested for breaking the sex offender law. I'm glad someone is making sure that all Americans' (except the fur-ih-ners) rights are being protected.

This brings me to my favorite line from Dirty Work: You know how I feel about the homeless, they're people and they have no homes.

When Unstable Markets Meet Unstable Nukes

Someone on the staff at Newsweek has been trying to let people know about Pakistan. The linked article is the most recent in a string of stories that claim that Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the Middle East, and rightly so. It's even worse now that the global economy has done this...



I'm not even really going to try to go into great detail about their problems, I'm just going to try to list them. The Taliban is gathering increasing strength in the northern hills. India just signed a nuclear trade deal with us, which puts two enemies on the United States' ally table. Pakistan's relations with us are becoming more and more strained. The last president was kicked out and the newest one is the widower of the assassinated lead candidate. The United States is continually invading their territory to hunt down terrorists. Now there is no money. Power outages are wide spread. Why do they scare me more than Iran, Syria, North Korea (not Middle Eastern but scary anyway), Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the other Stans? Because they have nukes. Not in the way that Iran almost might have the technology to start thinking about nukes. They have nukes, in the current sense. They have a new government that is on very thin ice. Not in the way that Kim Jong Il is crazy and we don't know how to deal with him. There is no way of knowing if their government will exist in a year, in the junta sense. I am far more frightened of practiced terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weaponry in Pakistan than I am with any other situation in the Middle East. I'll bet India and Afghanistan and Saudia Arabia are too.

What is It Good For?

War? Huh? Yeah... we still aren't fighting a war. Congress is the only body with the power to declare war and they haven't done it yet. So the Bush Doctrine, as described in the linked article, is neither preemptive not preventative war: it it preventative military action. I know it doesn't seem like much of a difference and in a culture earlier described as lacking in the ability to maintain focus saying preemptive war seems easier it is still incorrect. Otherwise I agree completely with this guy's opinion.

No Company Left Behind

The newest attempt of the Bush administration to make sure that nobody feels like they are any less important than anyone else is the economic bailout. We cannot allow any student to fail because that would lower their self-esteem and make them feel like they aren't as much of a person as the one who passed. Now we cannot allow companies to fail because then the free market that we set up wouldn't be able to correct itself. Sorry Lehman Brothers, you guys flunked out before we were able to pass this landmark legislation. We are setting up a very dangerous precedent. What will stop a restaurant from asking for federal money when they start to go under. What makes the any less deserving of the money than AIG? That's the problem with federal money and federal legislation: it has to be fair for all, not the liked. An individual company can choose to loan out money to whomever they want because it's their money. But the government is not private, it's public. I wish I would have been able to vote for something this large. I also wish that we were allowed to vote on a lot of things. So much for democracy. I guess I, along with Washington, missed that day of class and was passed through to keep up federal funding.

Bad Economy

The Dow just lost more points this week than in any other week in history. The economy is falling down around us and I guess that makes Ron Paul a bit like Chicken Little. In fact, we are so poor (How poor are we?) that we are even becoming unable to pay attention. I liked the pun there, I hope you did too. The linked article is a couple months old and it describes how the internet is destroying our ability to pay attention because we skim everything. I am just as guilty of this as everyone else. Probably more. I 'read' 130 newspapers a day. I don't actually sit down with a massive stack of paper and go page by page. Instead I check my RSS reader and scroll through headlines trying to find articles that interest me enough to read. I don't remember the last book that I read from cover to cover. I have seven books with marks in them right now because I have to read each of them one chapter at a time and switch to a different book to keep my mind engaged. Fortunately I am still able to watch an entire feature-length film; but that's not exactly exemplary is it? Do any of you actually read the full article I link to? Or do you just read my opinion about the article? This hit me recently when I was talking to someone about news. If you watch CNN you do get a lot of news, but 24 hours is a long time. After a while they stop giving news and start giving opinion. Opinion is not news. I am not a journalist I am a blogger.

I have asked people to pay attention to something for even a sentence before and that much concentration was painful. To think about trying to maintain a single stream of conciousness for a couple hours is almost beyond society's grasp. Can we stop this? Sure, we could. Will we? I don't know, what's on another channel?

Photosynthetic Oil

I love the Taipei Times. They have a lot of really good research and commentary in it. The title article discusses a possible alternative fuel: algae. I don't even care if it works or not, it's good tom know that there are people out there thinking about this stuff. Developing nations are displeased with corn- and wheat-based biofuels because they drive up the cost of food. Most people are still afraid of nuclear energy. West Texans think wind towers are ugly. I just hope the algae aren't stinky otherwise we'll never find another fuel source.

Dirty Money

Massachusetts recently got some figures on how much money the state could make from allowing homosexual marriages. From hotels to restaurants to chapel rentals the income would be phenomenal. Who would have thought that allowing people to do what they want to do would make a lot of money? I know it's "icky" to think about members of the same gender being with each other, I disagree but who listens to me, but that's not really the issue at heart here. Government shouldn't issue marriage licenses, I think I've mentioned this once or twice before. It is not the government's place to interfere with a sanctified union between a man and a woman, if that is your personal belief on the matter. Likewise, the church should not tell the government who is and is not allowed to have visitation rights. Government is not supposed to be moral and church is not supposed to be egalitarian. Who was that guy that talked about this... hmmm... Oh yeah, Thomas Jefferson, one of those pilgrims who founded this country on Christian morals and values. I had forgotten.

Snack-tastic!

Parental advisory: bad language in the provided link. Once you've read the comic, go to Gamer Grub's website and click on the different varieties of the snack. It's trail mix!!! It's nothing new. It is just a different packaging for trail mix for people who don't walk on trails. They are missing the point of gamer snacking. That's why many nerds are starting to become more fit. With the rise of pc gaming (I mean mmorpg's that involve the entire keyboard) we are seeing fewer gamers who train themselves to eat and play at the same time. When I was a growing gamer, I would have a box of Cheez-its in one hand and a two liter of Mountain Dew in the other and I would proudly do my best to munch down a few carbs during a save point. I would slurp a few gulps of nectar while the announcer would count down time before the fight started. It used to be a conversation piece to describe to other nerds just how much you could do while you gamed. Even when I played an MMO, I maintained my eating regimen. Sure my keyboard got crumbs in it, that 's why they make keyboard cleaners. I'm not asking for anything much, really. I know that the business industry is trying to get as much money as they can out of nerds. Kudos to them. Unfortunately, new packaging means higher costs and nerds spend more on games than on snacks. Sorry old white guys who know nothing about gaming. We need the old nerds to teach young nerds how to effectively game and bring back the full box of Cheez-its and two liter of Mountain Dew. We need to stand up for ourselves and not be pandered to. We need to... man I'm tired, anybody got some Gamer Grub?


Tee hee! Seriously though, jerks, leave me alone. I snack just fine.

Why Can't I get Paternity Leave?

Sorry it took me so long to get to this article, dated July 14, but I've been a little busy running for office and all. All excuses aside, I have been thinking about this issue a lot now that Sarah Palin is running for Vice President. The article discusses how many of the benefits for women in Britain, such as a full paid year maternity leave, is now becoming more of a bust for women than a boon. My mother was off work for six weeks if I remember correctly when she had me. Our family happened to be in the position where Dad's job allowed him to spend more time at home. This raises my title question: why can't men get paternity leave? If a woman wants to go back to work the father should be allowed to get paid time off of work to raise the baby. Especially in an era where evidence is showing that fatherly presence is both lacking and of growing importance, this policy seems to allow the best of both worlds. Otherwise women, who have fought hard for these benefits, will find themselves jobless until 40.

If I recall correctly the purpose of the women's rights movement was equal treatment. Well, I'd like to be treated equally sometimes, too.

And the Fight Was On...

I don't think these guys have any idea what debating is. They keep talking to the moderator. The keep talking to the camera. What happened to a good old-fashioned fight? If I was one of those guys, I would call him out on every incorrect statement he puts out. How come Barack Obama doesn't bring up the $10 billion in spending every month in Iraq? 18 Billion in a year or in three years is nothing compared to the defense budget. This might be why they don't let me debate...

Kudos

Kudos indeed to Brian Green who blogged about this video and having watched it I am now also blogging about it. Watch the video and enjoy.

Mah-wedge

Anywho, back to the news. A bishop said that people shouldn't get married in churches until after hey have the civil ceremony to take care of the legal business. I agree because I think that there needs to be a strong separation of church and state. I fully intend to be married in a church, but if I have to go to the courthouse first, that's fine with me. Two benefits: the government won't be considering a constitutional amendment limiting the pursuit of happiness and churches won't have anything to do with legally binding contracts. Just a thought.

Do You Know Jack?

The link goes to a quiz on American history. I got a 76.67%. Please take the quiz and post a comment with your score in it. I think schools need to do more to focus on history. When I was in school I didn't pay very much attention, hence the 76... While I recognize that the last statement would tend towards someone telling me that I should have worked harder to learn what they were teaching me, I also know that I went to high school before NCLB which I would contend has lessened the amount of time spent on teaching history.

Pwned

I don't think I have ever heard David Letterman be angry before. I think it is so cute when old people get bitter and sardonic. It makes me happy inside that David Letterman was giving John McCain a chance to come on the show and talk about himself and when blown off Dave says, "Screw this guy!"

McCain, by the way, was talking to Katie Couric (He likes younger attractive women doesn't he? I guess we could ask his ex-wife).

When the Cover is Funnier than the Cover it's Covering

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert posed for the cover of Entertainment Weekly and held the same pose as the famed picture of Barack and Michelle Obama. It is a delightful parody, or cover in the music business, of an originally upsetting piece. I thought the original picture was quite hilarious because it showed exactly what everyone was afraid of and I think it shows just how ludicrous most attacks on Obama are. It also has the text of the interview that Stewart and Colbert had with EW and I think they give a particularly good insight into why I hate 24-hour news and modern politics. Enjoy!

My Kind of Segment

One of the many things I love about this segment is that it combines international politics with movie clips. Priceless. Also the comment about flowers is rather catchy. Enjoy.

Randy Newman-ia

I know I say a lot of things, especially not on this blog, that go against the leadership of this country. I know I think a lot of things about how it could probably be done differently. This song really spoke to me and made me feel a little bit happier about being American. I hope you feel the same way too.

Blog with No Name

I really liked this video. I love this chick's voice. And the song by Randy Newman is both funny and poignant.

And really, I mean really. I got this in an email and I thought it was hilarious.

If I Did It

O.J. Simpson is on trial again. The video clip that is linked is an SNL sketch discussing the difficulty in finding impartial jurors. Due to the high-media nature of cases like O.J.'s, both his current and his previous cases, he really shouldn't even have a jury trial. He should face a tribunal of some sort of judges who have sworn an oath of impartiality and duty toward the law. I guess the only problem with that would be that were the judges to stay impartial there would actually be justice in the justice system and not politics, and I don't know if our country can handle that.

Queens, Kings, and Prime Ministers

The link goes to the full episode of the Daily Show from September 18. I was going to do just one part, but the whole thing ended up being really good. Please watch it.

Tony Blair is spot on. He does a really good job of explaining his decision-making process and beliefs in world affairs. The reason I made sure I posted the whole episode is because John Stewart does a better job of explaining that the world is far more complicated than Blair allows for and that the current course of action should never have been pursued.

I really can't say anything about Sarah Palin because once I get started it will be like Theo just told me he got a girl pregnant (uh-koo-koo-kajoo). I just hope she realizes that while Miss America gets a crown and rules supreme over... something for one year until someone younger and better-looking comes along, the President does not get a crown (the role was designed to be the opposite of a King) and usually age and looks don't have anything to do with the political process. I think her campaign manager should get her that memo. Aside from looks and youth, she really doesn't have anything to qualify her to be Vice President, except maybe an ability to lie to her electorate, steal from Congress, and make the media feel bad for questioning her leadership. Maybe she did get the memo from her campaign manager...

Humpdy Dumpdy is King of the NYSE

Reinstate the WPA to rejuvinate the economy? That'll never work. We don't allow that kind of Communist bologna to work in this country. When the stock market is falling around us, jobs are leaving, we see an influx of veterans, too many people are on SSI, those kind of conditions are just plain wrong for the government to subsidize work. Especially since our new system of creating public works through shady earmarks works so much more cheaply and effectively. Oh wait. Never mind, this has been Rosanne Rosanna-Danna reporting.

Something About Us - Cover of Daft Punk

This video starts out decently, but it isn't anything special. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but watch the whole thing, it's pretty cool.

Martyrs on Both Sides

Please read the article first.

Thank you. I'm just going to talk about the attacks on the Danes since 2005 when they created the Mohammad cartoons. There are cartoons about Yahweh, Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Joseph Smith but for some reason it's not cool to have a cartoon about the Prophet Mohammad. I understand that their religion says that there shouldn't be any depiction of the person, but I also understand that not everyone in the world is Muslim. And while I also appreciate that not everyone has grown up with the concept of the freedom of speech, I'm Amero-centrist leave me alone.

Now to the real point of the article. During the French, English, and American Revolutions (I know ours was really a war of independence, but I'm going with popular titles to maintain a theme) people fought and died struggling to maintain what they believed to be a God-given right to express whatever they felt without persecution. While most people think that this means no governmental persecution, it actually means no persecution from any source. That's a point that a lot of Americans miss but I'm not going there right now.

I want to know why people now don't feel like it is their duty, and governments don't think it is their right, to die for what they believe in anymore. If Dutch publishers want to put cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, fully recognizing that there will be repercussions, then they should be allowed to. Why is religion the only cause worth dying for? Why is Islam the only side that has martyrs in this fight?

When the people of the world tell terrorists that they aren't afraid of their antics, then suicide bombers stop being martyrs and become something much easier to deal with: criminals.

Look Who's Talking Now

When Barack Obama said that the United States needed to openly talk with Iran he was practically labeled a traitor for daring to offer diplomacy as an option for foreign policy. In the linked article, five former Secretaries of State have come out and said that the United States needs to openly talk with Iran. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I think I also said, in my Resolution for Iraqi Peace, that we need to openly talk with Iran. John McCain and George Bush are saying that Iran needs to continue to be left alone and sanctioned for daring to want to join the world by having nuclear energy. I guess John McCain wants there to be nuclear energy more widely used... here. I guess John McCain wants there to be alternative energy sources... here. I guess John McCain wants there to be environmental progress... here. Too bad the rest of the world can't join us...

We're Talking about Cuba Again?

This is probably the only time that I am going to say that John McCain could be an agent for change if he is elected. The tone of the article is that Obama will change relations between the United States and Cuba and that John McCain will not. I buy fully into the John McCain=John McSame campaign, but in this particular matter the point is moot. If Barack Obama is elected his campaign has said that he will change policies to try and improve relations and the general quality of life in Cuba, which sounds really great to Cuban-American voters. If John McCain is elected his campaign has said that it will pretty much stay the way it has been for the last 46 years.
The reason that this is a moot point is that we aren't the only interested parties. I'm not going to discuss all the changes possible if Barack is elected because 'everyone' agrees that change will occur. If John is elected we could see the most important events in foreign policy since the Fall of '62. McCain will not change the policy towards Cuba but Cuba is far different than it used to be. Raul is not his brother and we have yet to see exactly what that means for the island nation but we will see objective identifiable change in the coming months. McCain is also ramping up his oral belligerence towards Russia. I seem to recall Russia being a major ally of Cuba. Since we have already signed up to put a missile defense system in Poland, it wouldn't surprise me greatly if McCain sees missile installments get put in Cuba. Russia can say that they are using the installments as purely defensive in nature and that they are aimed at Central America or northern parts of South America. It worked for us in Poland. If McCain is elected then I foresee Cuba becoming an even bigger supporter of Russia and Communism as well as a bigger antagonist towards the US. If Obama is elected it could go either way depending on which way he wants to go and how well he enacts it and how well it is received.
If we are at all interested in not seeing Russian missiles within range of the entire South and D.C. then we need to proactively remove the trade barrier set up around Cuba. We need to open serious discussions to improve relations between the US and Cuba. We need to address our immigration policy to allow for a new flow of immigrants and also deal with the illegal ons we have now. We need to Work to bring Cuba into NATO before Georgia or the Ukraine, since that move would annoy Russia but not seriously threaten it. We need to dump our pride at our border and remember that we aren't the only country in the world.

Call Now to Get Your Own Loan Giant for Ten Easy Payments of 10 Million Dollars

I'd like to first of all say that I think that the columnist is going a bit overboard. But I won't hold that against her, she makes incredibly valid points. It used to be that you went to a bank to store your money and a brokerage firm to invest it. That now is not true for homeowners.
While 9% doesn't sound like very much, it is one in eleven. Do you know eleven people who are in the process of paying a mortgage? Just think that one of them lost their home before June. On the scale of 44 million people paying mortgages that's massive.
I think it is nice that the columnist says that the market can't fix itself as an excuse for the government to create further regulations to protect consumers from bad business. However, it is not completely true. It would not be pretty to watch most of the home loan companies sink into the ground and millions more lose their homes. It would not be enjoyable to see property values plummet for those fortunate few who already own their home or survive the crash. After the smoke cleared though, the country would still be here. The economy would still be here. The people will still be here. Maybe a good Depression is what we need to fix some of the social ails of the nation. The first generation after the Great Depression is called the Golden Generation, after all.
The great thing about free markets is that while it isn't always pretty or enjoyable it does always work. After a while there would be no home loan companies left, there would be terribly low property values, and there would be a lot of empty houses. Sounds horrible right? Well maybe in that situation someone like me, a white-collar worker who makes more than minimum wage but not so much that buying a house is a plausible goal, might actually be able to afford a house to build a future in. Maybe the next time that millions of people want to buy houses they will know better than to sign any paper that a bank puts in front of them on a house they can't actually afford. Maybe people will learn what some of us have always known: a house is not a right, it is earned through hard work and frugality.

What is the Deal with Vista?

I have to admit, I don't much understand the new line of Microsoft commercials either. It just adds to my delight in using Linux. Parental advisory on the link in the title btw.

Goldilocks is Ukranian?

Ever since the trouble in Georgia that I already wrote about a lot of commentators have said that Ukraine is next. While this seems cliche it is also rather accurate. I think that that is a bit too direct for the chessmaster [Putin] to put into play. He does not want another world war and he certainly doesn't want another Cold War. He is going to continue to use maneuvers that are sneaky and completely legal, well, legal enough to get by with anyway. What many Americans don't understand is that Putin doesn't have to think in terms of four years like our presidents do. He can be making plans five, ten, fifteen years down the road and they will be carried out. Also, he doesn't have to carry them out himself. Bush is a cowboy and wants to make sure that everyone knows what he is up to. Putin is a spy and wants to make sure that as few people as possible know what he's up to. Medvedev is not quite the lapdog that many assume him to be but he is still not the leader of his party or the prime minister or the man in charge. Poland is in far more danger than the Ukraine is right now because they just signed a deal to have our missile defense system installed. While Putin almost certainly won't pull the same military trick he pulled in Georgia (tricks like that only work once, ask Andrew Wiggin), he will use political and economic pressure to make Poland a very unhappy place. The problem with countries that stop practicing major diplomacy is that politicians eventually forget how to use it. Our politicians have, for the most part, forgotten how to dance the dance of international politics. I think this can be evidenced by the statement, "I know how to deal with Russia because I can see it from my house."

Lipstick on Pig Good for Book Sales

Read the story and watch the video, they don't really have anything to do with each other except that they both reference the book 1984. I think the author of the article brings up quite a few good points so I wanted to give it more notice than just sharing it.

Where's Paris

This is the video from SNL last night that had Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. It would only have been better if Paris Hilton would have been there to mention that the white-haired dude wanted her to run. Please enjoy this video.

I Just Don't Know How to Quit You

Unless I=Pakistan and You=War on Terror. George W. Bush reportedly approved missile strikes within the borders of Pakistan without asking Pakistan (a nuclear ally) if it was ok. Pakistan has done really well so far in at least appearing like they want to help us end terror. Now that Pakistan knows that he has allowed the disrespect of its territorial integrity, it has threatened to quit the War on Terror. I guess the ball is in our court now. A wonderful play by Pakistan. I want to know how much longer our administration can hold onto its hypocrisy and how much longer people will listen to John McCain and Sarah Palin say that we need to continue in the Bush Doctrine. George W. Bush has no more doctrine in his foreign affairs than I have 'game' in picking up women. You can go out and ask many who know me, I simply have no game. If throwing darts at a map and saying, "There are tur-uh-rists there" is not a doctrine; it's a frat game.

No Party For Old Men

John McCain doesn't want Democrats to control the White House and Congress. He hasn't even started talking about picking Justices for the Supreme Court. I can't imagine a world where one party controls all three branches of government. Unless you consider 2000-2006...
But we're not talking about the Republicans, we're talking about Democrats. I happened across an article that showed the number of years each president had Congress with him. It seems that there is a correlation between the number of years that a president's party had control of Congress and how well liked that president is. Since a president can get more done with a strong Congress behind him, it would make sense that usually people would like him; or really hate him...

Women Cooking? Really?

Since I've used two sexist titles today, I think I need to make something clear. I am not a sexist, I use sexism and attacks on feminism in my humor because that's how I deal with stress. I also think that if any movement is going to survive it needs to be able to survive a few jokes. It's great that the hosts of The View bit into John McCain about Sarah Palin. What a wonderful thing that a group of hardcore feminists showed that just picking any old woman isn't enough to get the female vote. I guess grabbing Sarah Palin to get Hillary Clinton's voter base is like grabbing a stale banana to make apple pie.

Can You Believe It?

Booyah. I called it. Oil at $100 before the end of the year. I also said that the NY Times was overzealous in saying it might get as low as $70, but since it's only September, I might be wrong on that. Of course, upon rumors that Georgia (US) ran out of gas, people here started fearing $5 or $6 gas and started running to the pumps. This has now caused shortages here which may, in itself, cause $5 or $6 gas. Irony anyone?

A Bear of a Blog

I apologize in advance. This blog is going to be long. I am going to use the Russia-Georgia conflict as the basis for what our future foreign policy should be.

To begin, America is losing a lot of face with the conflict in Iraq and the semi-depression of the summer. On July 3, President Medvedev of Russia spoke about a conversation he had with Henry Paulson Jr. (our Secretary of the Treasury) and said that the United States 'had other things to worry about' than complaining about Russia's apparent lack of human rights and democracy. This began a string of articles that popped to my attention throughout the summer. In Al-Ahram, a weekly journal out of Egypt similar to Time, there was an article about the diplomacy methods of Joeseph Nye. The thesis raised by this former US assistant secretary of defence and former dean of Harvard University's John Kennedy School of Government is that there is a difference between hard power and soft power, both of those being terms he coined. Hard power is monetary and military force imposed on others and soft power is influencing and inviting others to join a movement or cause, perhaps for monetary or military gain.

Then it happened, on August 8 Russia invaded South Ossetia. Forbes wrote that Russia was showing that Georgia was not a safe point for oil and natural gas. Far more importantly, however, is that Russia showed that it can attack wherever it wants whenever it wants and there isn't much that anybody can do about it. If Nixon knew anything, it's that the only way to fight a nuclear power is with nuclear weapons. That's why Nixon didn't fight Russia. He also didn't use words like terror to describe Russia.

I don't know when everyone boarded the train of forgetfulness, but apparently everyone forgot that in most countries that have Prime Ministers the Prime Minister has most, if not all, of the power. All of a sudden Forbes reported that Putin showed who has the real power in Russia. You don't say. Leader of the only political party, former President, current Prime Minister, former KGB member, the guy who picked the current President, that Vladamir Putin? He has all the power in Russia? I wouldn't have guessed... oh wait, yes I did. Back when I read this article about Putin being the Prime Minister of the Russia-Belarus Alliance. I, in fact, can be quoted by my former room mate, Cecil Hatfield, as saying that if I were Putin I would attack Georgia in my quest to take back the old Soviet Union. That was six weeks before the attack. I know I'm not the smartest guy in the world so I couldn't possibly be the only person that thought of that. I didn't even know that Georgia had oil and gas lines.

Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said that Russia needed to stop Russia's campaign of "targeting of civilians and campaign of terror as well as its destruction of in Georgia's infrastructure." Strong words from a strong man, Captain Insano. That's a quote from The Waterboy. Captain Insano in this particular case is George Bush speaking through his mouthpiece to the UN. This ties in with the first point of this rant, that the United States is hardly in any position to tell other countries that they can't invade another nation. Especially since Russia is saying that Georgia is systematically killing off South Ossetians and Abkhazians. Where else have I heard about a nation invading a foreign land to protect the rights of its citizens and overthrow a genocidal leader? Point made.

Then came the real icing on the cake. Russia removed its troops and recognized the independent governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. With this move it sought to make itself look like a liberator instead of invader and a savior instead of thief. If the United States would have done this in Iraq it would have worked with perfection. Even Sweden's Foreign Minister has called this maneuver a "direct violation of international law."


So how do we move forward? Delicately, to say the least. What the United States needs to recognize is that we are in a post-Soviet era, to quote an article in the Moscow Times. We can not treat the Russians like we did in the Cold War, like many assume John McCain would, and we also can't be too soft with them, like many assume Barack Obama would. We must not try to deal with Russia single-handedly. I hope everyone reading this is sitting down. We must work with China and Iran to let Russia know that they don't have a free ticket to break the rules. This means, of course, that we must be far more friendly to China and Iran. We must return to a position where Europe is steadfast in it's approval of us. We must do more to improve our position with continents like Africa and South America, the ones that are developing and violent. We must redevelop the soft power that we had so that when we need to use hard power, like we could in the case of Russia, we can have a reliable network of support from other nations so that Russia will find itself alone and powerless, which it isn't right now.

The pressure isn't all on us, however. Many are calling for action on Russia's part. Nobody wants another Cold War, not even Vladamir Putin. It has to work more diligently and patiently with us in the light of changing administrations. It has to be more diligent in its use of the UN Security Council in preventing us from doing things it views as undesirable.

Perhaps in the future it would be better if all parties involved didn't do anything rash over something as silly as a flat tire.

Can I Slalom Through Baggage Check?

Finally the TSA is doing something to hurry security. I don't fly as often as other people do, but I recognize patterns pretty quickly. So after the third time of having to remove my shoes and take off my belt and take my laptop out of the bag I don't think I'll ever forget the routine. I wear sandals and athletic shorts to quicken the first two problems and pack less in my laptop bag so that I can quickly remove it and put it back in. It's not that hard to remember where you are and what you are doing. It would be nice if they would stop announcing that the terror alert level has been raised to orange. It's always been orange in airports and always will be.

Capital Bit of Humor

I at first only shared an article from a paper that described which pig Obama was referring to. But this cartoon is great. Please also read the comment underneath it by Robert Mann.

Woman Hush!

The title is derived from the famous 1 Timothy passage that tells women to be quiet. I thought it would be cute to use it in reference to a blog about Sarah Palin's first interview since becoming the VP nominee.

A couple of brief notes:
-It is pronounced nu-kle-er not nu-kyu-ler.
-Muslims are not the only people to strap bombs to themselves.
-Being able to see the eastern coast of Russia does not provide special insight into Moscowan politics.
-Iran is a democracy also.
-The best defense is not a preemptive strike (the old saying goes the best offense is a good defense, not the other way around)
-Not all terrorists are Islamic Extremists.
-Invading allied nations that are nuclear powers is not a good idea; especially when most of the Islamic Extremists that you want to defeat so much actually come from there and are a breath away from taking over and having nukes under their control.
-Ahmedinajed does not want to give terrorists nuclear weapons, he wants to use them himself on Israel, where have you been?

Thank you and good day.

Not at the Mountaintop Yet

Several associates and friends of the late great Martin Luther King, Jr. are working to make a global initiative to end racism and bigotry. This is incredible. One of the organizers of this campaign, who also helped end apartheid in Africa, said that "young people are transcending race." I'd certainly like to think that my generation can learn the lesson that I learned during my tenure at Central State University: color, dress, and language do not translate into intelligence, ability, or drive. Black people are just as good as white people and there are white people who are worse than many of the stereotypes of blacks. People are people, everywhere and always. I've been saying that for years, you can quote me. I think I'm going to close by asking a question posed to me by the Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love?" The answer is just a little further in the future, when we finally reach the mountaintop that MLK Jr. saw from 45 years ago.

Quit Talkin' 'Bout My Girl, Man

John McCain's campaign has said that people are unfairly attacking Sarah Palin for her background. He should have known better before nominating her for Vice President. Once someone elevates to the level of national politics all bets are off. There is a very good reason for this. As City Commissioner and later Mayor of Wasilla, Mrs. Palin had a direct effect over 9,500 people. As Governor of Alaska, her 'imminent domain' raised to 663,661 according to the 2005 census. Yes I recognize that imminent domain has nothing to do with direct control of constituencies, but sphere of influence allows for the total realm of influence and governors can reach around a bit (giggity). Back to the point. As Vice President of the United States of America, she would suddenly be the number two voice for 300,000,000 (million) people. Not to say that she can't do the job, she may be exactly the right person for it, but she does deserve the scrutiny. Especially with what we are finding in her background. John McCain should have known what he was getting this woman and her family into, and he should be thanking Obama for not attacking her on her family values since she's attacking him on it.

Pat Buchanan: What happens if Obama loses?

I don't like how much I have been agreeing with Pat Buchanan lately...

Go Home Louie, There's No Family Feud Here

When Obama asked that his family be left off limits everyone thought that he was crazy. People told me that it was stupid for him to say that because family is a part of politics. It's good to know that when the Republicans are staring at a huge scandal, as far as family values goes, Obama is saying that their families should be left alone too. It seems to me that he is saying, "Thank you for leaving us alone, we'll return the courtesy."

This is a Rant

I'm watching a program on C-SPAN about the Republican National Convention, it's not actually the convention because they decided to limit the convention activities because of Gustav (no comment). A woman called in saying that she is displeased that nobody is talking about education. One of the moderators of the program said that education is 'generally in the purview of states and localities what would they be talking about it in a presidential election for?" I would normally agree with this woman emphatically since we live in a system of local control for local schools. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration passed No Child Left Behind which thrust national control into education and therefore making education a national issue. That is, of course, until someone revokes NCLB and allows kids to learn for the sake of learning and not for the right to have federal funding.

Release the Hounds

I waned to get a video clip of Montgomery Burns saying that line but I couldn't find one. I know I already blogged about Sarah Palin, but I have been reading more and more about her. I'd like to mention my glee that within 48 hours of her nomination reporters ahve already found scandals of abuse of power, flip-flopping, and a question of who the mother of her fifth child is. It's incredible how this defender of the second amendment and ethical government has been torn apart by the national media. They haven't even started comparing her to Biden yet and she's already losing McCain votes. I guess if he wanted to steal Obama's thunder he should have done it with Romney.

And the Winner Is...

All right, guys. I was trying for a beauty pageant joke there for the text of Sarah Palin's acceptance speech. She spoke in the Nutter Center just outside of Dayton, OH. i graduated from high school in that arena. Not that that matters, but I like bringing it up. I think it was a fine speech. This is the beginning of a long week: the Republican National Convention. I don't like thinking along party lines, but since they're going to be bashing my candidate I'm going to hate it. I personally think that the choice of Sarah Palin is a really good and a really bad move. I think it was good that the RNC wanted to steal the Clinton votes and the uninterested female votes. I think it's bad because for a campaign that has been attacking Obama's lack of experience to pick someone who is less experienced is hypocritical. I don't know if she will pull in the conservative vote or alienate the conservatives that hated Hillary Clinton for being a woman.

Mexican Everclear

Some Mexican farmers are growing corn instead of blue agave. I guess they can distill everclear instead of tequila (everclear is a corn-based liquor that is 190 proof). You can ask around or you can take my word for it, I have been saying for a year that the way to save Mexico is to teach their farmers how to properly grow corn. Developments in fertilization and irrigation and equipment could help them potentially grow enough corn to supplement the world's need both for food and ethanol fuel. The money made from this corn would be a significant boost to the Mexican economy. A possible side-effect of this boon to the economy and increase in jobs would be that fewer Mexicans would immigrate to the United States. Rather than attempt a dangerous journey to live in fear as felons, many would stay home and make good money at home with their families. Then, continuing on through linear reasoning, relations between the bordering nations of Mexico and the United States would improve and border security would also prosper. It'd be nice if the Mexicans are recognized for their efforts to create more food, lower food prices, have the same effect on fuel, and improve regulation of immigration and security.

He's Not Crying Wolf

A senior official in Iran said that an attack on Iran would start WWIII. I pray that Washington doesn't view this as empty posturing. They have been very consistent in Tehran about only threatening violence in response to violence. This statement falls completely in line with what they were saying before. It's a funny story, we used to be a military power that only fought when attacked...

Who's Number One?

The United States got the most medals overall in the Olympics but China got the most Gold. America is upset that Russia is liberating South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which may have shown us how to act in Iraq, but we aren't renaming Vodka Freedom Juice. The linked article is a commentary by Pat Buchanan, a man with whom I rarely agree, and I think he hits the nail on the head. I have heard mention of the article "The End of History" by Fukuyama more than once this week. The joke speech that I commented on also brought it up. I read that article and I'm glad that the present is showing that there will be plenty of past to talk about in the future.

The reasons that people are more satisfied in Russia and China than they are here are as follows: the authoritarian societies in which they live won't allow them to be unhappy publicly, and since they were born into these authoritarian societies they are used to them. Since America is a democracy, the last 8 years of authoritarian control have been out of place, awkward, and unappreciated. They also do authoritarianism much better than we do, they've had practice. I hope they get to Carnegie Hall (another joke that's for me).

Al Gore's Invesco Field DNC speech text

I think this is the best speech ever given by Al Gore. I think he's had it in a lockbox for seven years. Ok, nobody else remembers the lockbox huh? I laughed, so I got what I needed out of the joke.

I especially like how the beginning of the speech sounded like he was saying, "if you would have elected me we wouldn't be here... haha!!!" It was a proud proclamation of 'screw off and die' from a former Vice President.

Why Sarah Palin Is Likely to Belly-Flop

A commentary on why Sarah Palin is a weak choice. He should have picked Romney, but I didn't want him to win anyway so I guess I should be glad.

David Brooks: A speech to the delegates - International Herald Tribune

I started reading this thing thinking that it was a real speech. By the end i realized that it was a hilarious commentary on how interesting and hypocritical our politics are. Please read it and get a good laugh.

Barack Obama's convention address | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal

I would argue that this is the greatest speech of my generation. If anyone has any suggestions for a better speech given since 1975, post a comment and let me know.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

Tonight at the Democratic National Convention, there were two grand speeches: one by Bill Clinton; and one by Joe Biden. I'm not really going to comment, please read their speeches, it's worth the time. I'm going to list my favorite quotes from each speech.

Bill: "People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power."

Joe: "Millions of Americans have been knocked down. And this is the time as Americans, together, we get back up. Our people are too good, our debt to our parents and grandparents too great, our obligation to our children is too sacred."

The Cut of Her Jib

As someone who as commented on the increasing shortness of cheerleading uniforms, this story really gets me. If the uniform is too short for the classroom, it is too short anywhere. Plain and simple. The school can't say, "We want you to look like jailbait on Friday night but don't distract others in the classroom."

The First Wives Club

Sorry about the scary reminder, but they made that movie. That has nothing to do with this article really, but I thought it was clever because I am including links to the text of the speeches by a former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, and hopeful future First Lady, Michelle Obama. I don't normally like to listen to feminists talk only because so many of them tend to get into penis-hating monologues that I can't listen to because I keep my ears close to my brain... yeah the other one. These two women, however, spoke as strong women who support a common goal: electing a Democrat as president. They each had a very different tenor to her speech and each was elegant in her delivery. I am glad that women like Hillary and Michelle are the ones being listened to on national television. They do women across the country a great service with their intelligence, eloquence, and exhuberence.

I Do Declare

I don't think President Medvedev could say that like Foghorn Leghorn, but I'll imagine it and laugh anyway. He declared that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are independent nations. I think it's incredible that Russia was able to militarily invade Georgia and show the world just how hypocritical this administration is. In no way could the United States realistically take the moral high ground when it comes to having military operations in a nation that contains genocide and terrorism. Especially since Georgia borders Russia. Then Russia removed troops, something that we haven't done yet, and then recognized the independence of the two nations.
More importantly than what has happened is what will happen. The United States will continue arguing that Russia had no right to recognize them and I don't think we'll recognize them for at least 7 or 8 years, we haven't recognized Myanmar yet and it has been called that since 1989. The new nations will be most grateful to Russia for being the first to recognize them and that will have quite a bit of influence on what kind of governmental and economic systems they put into place. To say that Putin will have no input at all is naive and that he will be the sole decider is overly pessimistic.
While Georgia has been democratic and a U.S. ally, I doubt greatly that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will be either. Perhaps we should be trying to put that missile defense shield in the Ukraine instead of Poland... not that I'm saying the Ukraine is on the list, I'm just saying that Poland has successfully prevented a takeover by Russia before.

Sheep

Everyone who shops at Hot Topic is a sheep. Baa!!! They shop at Hot Topic to say that they are nonconformist and want to rebel against society, but they conform to what Hot Topic says is rebellious. I gather this opinion because of the phenomenon of The Nightmare Before Christmas. There is no reason to love this movie as a pop culture icon, perhaps pop subculture icon, except that Hot Topic started selling it on shirts, hats, shoes, wristbands, patches, watches, necklaces, ear rings, and socks (this list is probably not exhaustive).

It's Our Turn

Please read this article then refer to my previous post titled Tongue Twister
. Now not only does Russia agree with my Resolution for Iraqi Peace, but so do the Iranians and the Turks. I wonder if Joe Biden would like it...

Texas Tea Party

I'm going for a few references on this title also. The Boston tea party was an act of American terrorism to show the British that we would not be taxed unfairly any longer, the steady drop in demand of oil is an act of American patriotism to show OPEC, futures traders, and oil companies that we will not be priced unfairly any longer. I'm mostly writing this because I really loved when the authors of this article mentioned that oil is becoming practically a new currency and that our economy is losing ground with the black gold standard. What a great line. Now let's load up the truck and move to Beverly... Hills, that is.
I don't pretend to understand half of what they were saying, someone please take more time to educate me because I'm interested. I get the basics of it though, and it sounds a lot like the way everything was traded way back in the day when people were allowed to trade on margins. My grandfather can tell you about the ails of the Great Depression, the result of such reckless abandonment of reality.
The authors do make a point that I disagree with. They say that these unfair practices are bringing down America. I take that to mean that if the trend of future speculation and oil dependency continue then our country will fall. I can not agree with that thought on any level. The oil scare of the 1970's was bad, but we survived it. The Depression of the 30's was bad, but we survived it. The slumps in our economy before and in between have been bad, but we have survived them also. This is a nation of survivors. Life may be inconvenient for a while, life may be expensive for a while, and life may seem bleak for a while but we will survive it as well.
A brief side note, it is only by weathering the storms of complete capitalism that we may evolve into socialism, just thought I'd throw that out there, before people start thinking I'm a Libertarian or Republican again.

A Plant Without Plants

In the debate over the energy crisis, many point to ethanol as a partial solution to our problem. I saw this article talking about an ethanol plant coming to Pike County and I said, "But we don't have any corn..." Well it turns out you don't need it. They're building an ethanol plant in a landfill and they're turning our garbage into fuel. How do you make a good deal better? Make it free! Yes, I said it, free! The company that is going to operate the plant is paying all of the upfront costs, so no taxpayers' dollars are going into this. I am completely behind this and am glad that it's coming to Pike County.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

I think that it is interesting that university presidents are thinking about opening up a discussion to lower the drinking age. Naturally, my first reaction was, "Oh, just take your problem and push it down onto high schools." After thinking a bit more, underage drinking is a problem in high schools anyway. I have heard the 'smoke, vote, die, don't drink' argument from a lot of young people who don't understand why the law is 21. For the record, I haven't given my opinion to either side just yet in this blog, I'm just letting you know what I've heard. I have argued many times in discussions with people that by making something forbidden fruit it becomes more desirable. If Adam ate an apple, why wouldn't a college freshman drink a beer? I waited until after I was 21 to start testing my own desire, taste, and tolerance of alcohol, and I'm glad I did. I went to a college that was supposed to be dry and it was wetter than a river, de Nile isn't just in Egypt. I would like to make sure everyone notices that the CEO of MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is a man; thank you. I am glad to know that there have apparently been fewer alcohol-related deaths since the 21 age change.

I would like to take my own personal stance on this issue at this time. I don't think it matters what the age of allowance is. For anything. If the government is going to do anything at all to attempt to regulate the behavior of its citizenry it should educate them in the effects and consequences of the behavior, fully and without bias. I went through the D.A.R.E. program and didn't learn a thing about the effects of drugs or alcohol, I just learned that it was bad to use them. In high school health class I didn't learn how long to wait after drinking a beer before the alcohol was out of my system, I learned that tidbit in a bar. I know that teachers have to do a lot and they do a fine job. Perhaps if the education system was directed to educate and not indoctrinate, young people would be able to make better decisions. Until a man is expected to take care of himself, he won't. Did you remember that this is a male-dominant blog?

A Great Moment In Our History

I just got done reading the transcript of the Saddleback Presidential Forum. I have attached the link and I want everyone to read it. I say that this is a great moment in our history because it was not a debate, but a true conversation about some of the most difficult questions of our time. Both men gave an honest and full answer that I believe truly shows what each of them stands for. I will not say here who I agree with on what responses, but I will gladly discuss any of them in personal conversation. I would also be happy to give you my own responses to the questions.

Changing Colors

The article that is linked herewith is really really long. But I think that it is a worthwhile read. As someone who has had to change himself several times over the course of my life, I can identify the internal struggle that Bourdin feels. I didn't do it by choice to persuade people, I did it to survive, but I think that regardless of intention the end result is the same. Please read this story and let me know how it makes you feel about yourself. Do you relate to this man? Do you despise him? Do you understand him?

The Spotlight is a Little Warm

Why is it that the only time the Herald-Leader decides to look at Eastern Kentucky it's because we're a bunch of drunks and pill-heads?

I recognize that there is a major problem in the region, and the article really does go a long way to describe some of the things we need to fix the problem, but it would be nice if we could get a bit more recognition for some of the positive things that happen here.

One of the major concerns of many of the people I have talked to since I started running for city commission is the major drug abuse problem. One of the possible remedies mentioned both in the article and by the concerned citizens of Pikeville is more detoxification centers. I agree that we as a community, and hopefully I as a member of the government, need to do whatever we can to help those people who are battling troubling times in their lives. Those in pain need treatment, those who are depressed need counseling, and those who are bored need something more constructive to do.

In Limbo

I'm not quite sure how many different puns and angles I'm going for with this title, but let's find out. The first thing I thought of was 'How low can you go?': the main line for a limbo line. Gas prices have continued to go down, and some people are wondering how far they will fall, I predicted they would drop to $100 by the end of the year. When I started saying this two months ago, I was called crazy by many, and now I'm looking better and better. The NY Times even went as far as to say that they might fall to $70 (I'm not willing to go that low).

The other pun, that of being in limbo, is considering how the prices of oil are virtually unaltered by the conflict in Georgia. No, I don't mean Jimmy Carter's home. I mean the small nation that used to be a member of the USSR. When I told my roommate that I thought Russia was going to attack Georgia as one of the first steps towards global domination (I really did say that) I didn't know that Georgia has gas and oil pipelines into Europe. Knowing that makes the recent conflict there even more apparent, but I'm getting off topic. I'm surprised that our market is so... what's the word I want, fatigued that we don't even get scared by the thought of the shortage anymore. Six months ago an attack on Georgia would have sent prices into the, well, $150 range. Not so surprising to us now, but then it would have been. It's good to know that after a few months of endless fear-mongering even stock market traders have to take a break.

The Biggest Trade Barrier I Ever Saw

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary says that a tariff is a schedule of duties imposed by a government on imported or in some countries exported goods. Wikipedia says that a tariff is also commonly called a trade barrier. I was in an economics class and I was asked what the number one export of Mexico was and I replied, "Mexicans." Before you get angry it was a joke and I think it accurately describes what much of middle-America feels. Now that we all see where the title of this blog is about to go, let me say this: trying to build a wall between Mexico and the United States is the most costly ineffective attempt to tariff a neighboring country's biggest export ever.

Walls are used historically for defense. It is bad politics to build walls with neighboring nations that you are on peaceful terms with. That's why France had beautiful walls on the mountainous terrain between themselves and Germany in 1941 and not on the border with Belgium.

The solution is not to make it more difficult for people to come into this country, but instead to make it easier. The inscription on the Statue of Liberty doesn't say, "No Vacancy."

Mexicans moving here will not and can not destroy 'our culture.' Why not? We don't have one. Our culture is the homogenization of hundreds of other cultures. We take everyone else's language, art, music, and food and make it our own. The current feeling against Mexicans is the same as has previously been felt against Chinese, Irish, Italians, and, oh yeah, white people.

I don't know if anybody remembers this or not, but we are being terribly hypocritical to say that we don't want these people to come into our country and destroy everything we've built. Europeans came to this country and took it from the native people. We moved them, killed them, and have since assimilated them.


Before you complain about Mexicans taking jobs away from Americans remember this: who gave the Mexicans the jobs? Shouldn't we be blaming those people?

Not Just a President Anyore

Barack Obama isn't running for president anymore. He's running for savior for two groups of people. African Americans want him to bring an end to their long struggle for equality. Muslims want him to shed the light of tolerance and understanding on their religion. I guess John McCain is running to maintain the dominance of old white men who have a military career... Okay, that's stereotyping African Americans and Muslims, but I think most people can agree that I'm correct with regards to the overall trend. It's also not at all fair to John McCain. I've liked John for eight years and I'm not about to dislike him because he's on the wrong side of the political aisle. I think it's great that people can find someone to believe in, but I think we all need to remember that Mr. Obama is just a man like the rest of us. If we try to canonize him he will only fail us and we will be heartbroken. President isn't God. I promise. Let him be the man he is and make the mistakes he'll make and realize that the only way that blacks will be equal and Muslims appreciated is through our individual ability to love our neighbors. The government can't do it for us.

Special Licenses For Those Who Fear "Beast'

This type of story kills me. I have a few remarks to make in no particular order. This is a bit more rant-oriented than normal, but I've been building on this. The digital picture on a driver's license is not, simply not, the mark of the beast. Regardless of what the mark is, when God wants it to happen it will happen regardless of what anybody thinks or wants. Lastly, who would want to stop the second, or first for some of you, coming of the Lord? I can't wait to get to heaven. What could we be doing that is so important that we think it's better than Jesus coming? Anybody? Bueller?

wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man - wacky.wmv @ ZippyVideos.com - Free Video Webhosting

I love this video, I think it's hilarious. I looked it up because I saw a funny car ad and wanted to show it to my stepmom-to-be. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do.

Breastplate of Righteousness

I didn't want to blog on this, bu the title is what my father's response to the story was. I thought that it was funny enough to put it on here.

It's Electric!

Steve Beshear has decided that electric cars should be used on roads that have speed limits of 45 mph or less. I know he's doing it to try to encourage an electric motor car company to bring its plant here, which is wonderful, but there is a vastly more important side-effect. If we are able to start using electric vehicles such as golf carts (quick example) on city streets instead of gas-fueled cars, just think of the environmental benefit in a city such as Pikeville. Not only would traffic and noise decrease, but so would smog. I suppose the most realistic application of this phenomena is to have police drive around town in such vehicles to lower fuel costs for the city and reduce emissions from government employees. We could also think about getting an electric shuttle to run from the parking garage to a loop around town so that people would feel more comfortable parking in that facility instead of vying for spots on the street. It's a small step, but that's what we need. We can't find the one answer to everything and think that it will be implemented immediately unless we take a bunch of smaller steps to get prepared for it. Also, after taking many small steps I think we will all be surprised how far we get before the big step is discovered and, perhaps by then, unnecessary.

Imagine

To quote the film Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story, "There's no limit to what we can do when we -- imagine." The character saying the line was supposed to be an early Lennon. Haha. All jokes and bad references aside, using the imagination is something that is necessary for children. Unless a child learns what his or her mind is capable of, he or she will never try to expand the limits of that ability. It's like John Candy said in Uncle Buck, "I don't want to know a six-year-old who thinks about their student careers." Let kids be kids for what precious little time they can be. They'll have to grow up eventually and when they do, it would be nice if they could remember the days when candy made them smile.

Red Badge of Courage

The judge who stood up and said that even sex offenders have the right to be protected from illegal search-and-seizure should be given a medal. After a person is out of jail and off of probation, he or she (men aren't the only perverts in the world, don't lie) has served his or her time to society and should be left alone. Sex offenders have to register with their local governments and register so that the whole neighborhood knows who the freak that just moved into town is, I think we owe them a little bit of privacy in their own home.

Difference Made

Ok, no more fooling around, it's time for me to get back in the swing of things and, boy, do I have a list of stuff to write about. The article referenced here is an opinion article about how Obama getting elected won't change the political scene for the better, but that the political scene has already changed to allow him to be where he is now. I have to agree with him. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can both testify to the difficulty of being a black man running for President. Neither of them got nearly this close. I think that's because Obama isn't running as a black man, he's running as an American who has policies he believes in. He's not the race-card playing, white-man hating, hate-speech giving black politician everyone seems to be afraid of. Hopefully those kind of politicians will be voted out of the system and more Obamas will be voted in.

A brief note: blacks are not the only group of people who play a race card or hate people of different colors, or give invective-laced orations, but Obama can't bring change to those other groups (white men), that's what I'm here for.

Wow

The Dark Knight was the best movie of the summer. No argument, period, the end. Great. Everybody go see it so that I can talk about it without spoiling it.

I also said that I would update you all on what happened last night. Everything went off without a hitch. I wasn't nervous at all, it just felt like I was supposed to be up there speaking to people. I think I'll be able to do this for a long time. I'm going to enjoy doing it, so I hope you all enjoy watching.

It's Been a While

I don't think I ever really liked the song of this title by the group Staind, but it fits what I want to talk about. I realized last night that it's been about a week and a half since I last wrote anything. This is for a couple of reasons. I'm still trying to get used to my schedule and finding time to write when I actually feel like writing is difficult (I don't like writing much). The other reason is that there hasn't been very much news that I have thought needed extra comment. I hope you've all been keeping up with my shared news, because I haven't stopped reading news and I haven't stopped sharing it. There has been a lot that has been going on in the world, just not much that I think needs more said. I do have a few articles stored up that I think I'll write about over the weekend. I also have to do my Independence Day blog. I like national holidays, what can I say? Thanks for sticking with me everybody, I'm still here.

A Legend Has Passed

George Carlin has died.



He was one of the great names of comedy. The name everybody knew. Some of his greatest acts were more than a decade before I was born, but I still found out who George Carlin was and what he did. I was fortunate enough to see George Carlin as a birthday present last year. I will remember forever how he never bowed to the greater powers, never strayed from his own desires, and never stopped making us laugh.

The Other Foot Falls

We are another step closer to having a multi-party system in this country. Bob Barr might do for Republicans what Ralph Nader did for Democrats eight years ago. If that happens I think we might see people start to vote for policy not party. The old system of government, where all politicians are the same as all other politicians, the only difference is what lies they tell us to get elected, might go the way of the dodo; or it might not. We might be seeing one of those elections that are once in a lifetime. I hope not.

The Butcher

In the words of Chris Farley, may he rest in peace, in his role in Tommy Boy, "I can get a good look at a T-bone by looking up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butcher's word for it."

I think I'd rather take Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's word that U.S. forces are the main dividing force in Iraq than actually go there and look. You could also listen to me, but I suppose I'm just a butcher in training.

Girl Power

It's a shame that there aren't any women in politics, government, or business other than Hilary Clinton for girls to take lessons from. Oh yeah, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice, and Oprah (nuf said) should be able to provide plenty of leadership. The glass ceiling only reaches as high as women's hammers want to reach. I'm sorry that there is this perception that any white male can automatically assume any position of power or wealth or influence that he so desires, but it isn't that easy. I still have to bust my balls to be able to get what I want. I am tired of hearing this feminist yarn (tee hee still brought in a sewing joke) about not being able to succeed because of men and their evil penises of death. Perhaps if neo-feminists weren't so busy complaining and looking for chauvinist intent, they'd be able to get more work done.

Just for those of you who don't know me well enough, I have a lot of strong females in my life. I know that women don't get paid as much as men, and I am committed to working on that, but please, leave my ears alone. It's already part of my value system and I don't need to be indoctrinated.

Greatest Generation Jr.

When I was a child I was taught that retirement age was 65. I learned that a person had to work until that golden age before he or she was able to reap the benefits that he or she had sewn during a lifetime of putting money into a system of protection from economic uncertainty. In most recent years, a lot of fuss has come about stating that when the baby boomers start retiring there will be too much strain on the social security system. I don't think that's true at all.

There are several ways to prevent the social security account from hitting the red. As a paralegal who helps people of all ages and disabilities sign up for SSI, I understand and appreciate the need for many citizens who are unable to work. I am also glad that our government has taken it upon itself to help these people. I think that we need to figure out a way, though, to separate Social Security/Disability from Social Security. Those people who have worked their whole life and have paid into the system have earned a monthly check and we owe it to them. I think we need to try to take care of people who can't take care of themselves, but there are other groups that can be put in charge of that.

Another concern is that when the baby boomers retire there won't be enough workers putting into the system. I have a question: where are the jobs going that the baby boomers were working? Are companies going to get rid of the position of CEO? Is middle management finally going the way of the dodo? I don't think so. My generation, and the couple before it, are going to have to step up and carry the load just like the baby boomers did before us. Fortunately for us, we have seen the mistakes of bad mortgages and too much credit. We have seen what is right and wrong to do with money. We are learning that while we will have Social Security as a back up, we need to take our retirement into our hands and make sure that we have a future to develop.

It'd be nice if you old people would just leave us alone and let us worry about ourselves, we'll be fine. I promise.

Dancing With The Stars

Statements made by Afghani President Hamid Karzai have caused me to want to write this article. There are two separate articles quoted in this blog and I could have used more but I thought I would spare you all of that reading. Hizbullah and Syria helped the Lebanese President get into office as long as he holds to the agreement set forth by those two groups. Israel and Palestine have signed a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Iran has decided to start talking to the EU about its nuclear program. India is protecting itself and its economy. Pakistan and Afghanistan and the Taliban are bickering like siblings. Did I miss anyone? Oh yeah, thousands of American troops in Iraq babysitting a civil war.

If we aren't making the decisions in the region, should our troops be dying because of them? If we can't economically persuade OPEC to produce more oil, should we be trying to militarily convince them?

When I was a child my mama told me that I shouldn't worry about anyone else and I should just take care of myself and deal with the conditions life and others hand to me. I think our country should take a lesson from my mama.

Tongue Twister

An enemy of a friend is an enemy, and a friend of an enemy is an enemy, does that make the enemy of my enemy my friend? Or my enemy?

Isn't it a pain in the butt when the rest of the world thinks that your friends are more dangerous to world peace than your enemies? Especially when you're leading a war against the forces that prevent world peace?

I don't know. Who ever asked me to know anything?

Oh yeah, that's right. I wrote that exact same opinion two months ago and sent it to my senators, representatives, the Secretary of State and my ambassador to the UN. Other than that time, when was I expected to know anything?

I just hope they don't put me in Gitmo for saying the same thing as the Russians. If you want a copy of my opinion titled Resolution for Iraqi Peace, let me know.

The Global Bear Chase

There's an old saying that says when evading a bear you only have to be faster than the guy behind you. Unfortunately, in a global economy it doesn't really matter who's behind you; it matters who is in front of you. Recognizing fully that it is a good goal to bring up the lower 10% of the student body, I think we should take a page from W.E.B. DeBois' book and make sure that our 'talented tenth,' the top 10% of a group, is the best top 10% in the world. If we are able to stay in front of the world with our technology and science and philosophy, that knowledge has a better chance of trickling down than worrying about bringing the bottom tenth up to the median bar. We are losing a lot of talented minds to blasé and boredom and not gaining a whole bunch except perhaps a flooded workforce.

I Knew It

I've been saying it for years and nobody believed me. Science has finally proven that a level-headed, goal-driven, and intelligent young man is less likely to 'get lucky' as his peers. Have fun with that, ladies, I'll be over here with my money and my future.

Here It Goes Again

I only have three words in response to this article. Kellogg-Briand Pact.

Time For The Nest To Empty

I can't really say too much more about this article than the writer already says. The United States is starting to go through the post-partem depression of a new mother after giving birth to democracy around the world. We need to, as a whole country, return to our original foreign policy and not get entangled in foreign affairs. We no longer speak softly as Teddy Roosevelt did. Nor did we avoid entangling agreements as George Washington supported. War is only profitable to those nations that don't fight in them. That's why Brazil and India (and CHINA) are improving their economies while the dollar weakens and the DOW sinks.

We must realize as we did before that we can only lead by example and not by the strength of our military. If we only get our goals accomplished by strong-arming weaker nations, then we are no better than the dictators we topple or the communists we denounce.

We must come together and allow the rest of the world to grow up under our guidance. We must not fight to prevent other countries from making their own decisions. We can't be mother to a world that doesn't want us to babysit it. It is difficult to see our little child become an adult, but it is about time we let it out of the nest and become the world it is supposed to be.

This Land is Not Your Land Anymore

Some of the Republicans in the state of Washington don't think that birth should automatically allow for citizenship in this country. I have been to the great state of Washington and I think it's a beautiful place. I just wanted to get that out so that nobody thinks I am aiming my remarks at all residents or citizens of the state.

After viewing the movie Starship Troopers I am intrigued by the concept of having different rights and privileges for residents and citizens. To become a citizen a person must complete at least two years of military service. Citizens get to vote and residents don't. I think that it is an intriguing way to ensure a volunteer army and also to improve democracy. Who is more invested in our way of life than our military and veterans? This particular way of government, however, will almost certainly never occur in this country. I'm not going to say whether or not this is a bad thing, but if you really want to have that conversation let me know.

As it is, one of the core pieces of the American ideal is that every person born on American soil is an American citizen. I know that these Republicans are trying to find ways to limit or prevent illegal immigration, but I think that they're creative energies need to be spent in other ways.

Especially since most of our natural-born citizens can barely pass reading tests much less naturalization tests.

The New Closed Shops

I'm a liberal. I'm a big liberal. I love unions. Protect the proletariat from the evils of corporate irresponsibility. You know the line. I have never liked the teacher's unions. Ever. I don't think that the group operates well. I agree that teachers should be treated well and paid fairly. I think that there should be a group of some sort protecting the educators of our youth. I also don't think that anybody should have a guaranteed job for any reason. Tenure in public schools doesn't make sense to me. Some school districts have tried to use testing results required by No Child Left Behind as a way to keep teachers accountable for their teaching. I think that's a good idea. I think that if a teacher isn't able to get kids to learn the material on those horrible tests then that teacher should have to face penalties. After enough failed tests, they should lose their job. If a factory worker can't do his job, he loses it. If a doctor can't keep patients alive he loses his practice. Good teachers have nothing to fear from these rules and I tire of hearing the teacher's union moan about losing bad teachers.

All Babies Go To Heaven

I'm glad to know that rather than donate $40 dollars to their local pregnancy care center or provide some diapers for a single mother, up-tight pro-lifers want to get a license plate. If someone with a dissenting opinion gets the same vanity plate, then the opposed party is spewing a message of hate. Nobody from the Pro-Life movement could possibly be accused of hatred. I'm just curious when the last time was that a Pro-Choice person bombed a church in protest.

Shop for Spam... a lot!

I can't say that I ever recall eating spam as a child. But I did grow up with Monty Python. I'm glad that people are trying to find ways to feed their families in light of rising food costs.

The New Three-Fifths

Please read the associated article before reading my commentary on it.

I'm not in any hurry, you might as well read the whole thing.

There you go.

Thanks, now then. I have to give Glen Beck some credit, I have used the exact argument that he forsakes. I, too, thought that there were jobs that many of us wouldn't do. I know that I wouldn't go out and pick grapes. On the flip side, I agree (and have for years) that the immigration process is too difficult and lengthy and needs to be fixed. I also think that when these workers are made legal citizens we will be forced to pay them a decent wage which would make them more competitive consumers and make those out-of-work Americans who would do the jobs for higher pay a more competitive labor source.


Instead of putting up a fence on the border, we should be tearing down the wall of bureaucracy that is mortared with red tape.

Who's Fat?

Apparently the childhood obesity epidemic has come to a plateau at about 50%. That's the nice way of putting it.

The Lexington Herald Leader headline read: Percent of Fat kids leveled off.
http://www.kentucky.com/779/story/417276.html

The Salt Lake City Tribune headline with the same story text was "Has the fat-kid epidemic peaked?"

Those of you who know me might or might not know this, but I'm a little self-conscious about my weight. I was skinny as a young child and then I found video games and mountain dew and well you know how that story goes.

I'm not offended by the story nor am I upset with the headlines, it just seems to me that there is a much more polite way to title that article, similar to the first sentence of this blog. I purposefully titled the blog as I did because of the linked video.

What do you think? Am I right or should I not worry about reporters throwing cheap jabs at children?

Biased Journalism

Finally someone who has a bias against the biased. No you won't read this article in any of our country's newspapers, but I happened to find it in the Lebanon Daily Star. I know that the primary job of the editor is to sell newspapers, but the primary job of the journalist is to report. If they want to create a story or give an opinion they should become novelists. Too many people think that opinions and news are the same thing. They think that commentary on CNN is gospel truth. The truth is that news shouldn't be entertaining. Discussing the news should. People should read news to be informed and read books to be entertained. The local daily shouldn't be a one-stop shop.

Which is to blame: parents or products?

An 8-year-old girl swallowed 20 steel balls the size of marbles and 10 magnets. Her parents were in the room. She almost died and the parents are suing the company that sells the product saying it is unsafe for use.

The product has previously been recalled for safety concerns. Eight-year-olds should know what is considered food and what isn't. If the little girl had died the parents would go to jail for criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter.

Am I right or am I wrong?

They Spoke To Us

On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, Barack Obama gave this speech http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/03/text_of_obamas_speech_tuesday?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news

And on Saturday, June 7, 2008, Hillary Clinton gave this speech http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004456017_apclintontext.html?syndication=rss

I know I haven't been looking at the political field for very long, but I have done my best to look back at it, and I can't recall a more gracious acceptance speech or a more sincere concession speech. I think that the words of the candidates, if listened to, will mend the tears in the Democratic Party and that that party will lead the reunion of the country.

For as long as I can remember, the most vocal members of the new ruling class have done what they can to divide us to make sure that they maintain power. The differences between Republicans and Democrats, Libertarians and Socialists, Conservatives and Liberals, are so small in the grand scheme of world government that we should not lose sight of the goal of this country: to allow people to work and worship and live and love.

If more people get into office like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, then this country can only become better.

An Unheard Opinion

It's always refreshing when I hear other people write the same thoughts I'm having. It sort of affirms everything that I'm trying to do. Too many people run for office because they want a job. Too many people hold office because they enjoy having power at their discretion. Too many officials have forgotten why democracy exists at all.

Undue Process

The title of this blog is a link to a news story that I saw that I think bears a bit of extra attention. I like to use my shared articles spot a lot so do check it, but a lot of my blogs are going to be my reaction to stories that are due comment. Most of the time the title of my blogs will be a link to something.

Now to the actual blog. This kid got suspended for what the school called unauthorized use of a computer. Knowing what people can do with computers, I understand why the rule is in place. But can anybody tell me why this kid got in so much trouble? That's really the only thing I have to say. It doesn't seem to me like this kid was hacking the CIA's Noc List (Mission Impossible reference). Can anyone help me out?