Anonymous: I don’t know if you are Anonymous 1, or 2, or still another one: In any case, obviously you do not recognize hyperbole when you see it. Of course my son is not fit (yet) to be President. The point is, neither is Sarah Palin. There is nothing in her background or experience that qualifies her for the most important job on the planet, including her brief and controversial stint (so far) as Governor of a small (in population), remote state. All this contrived talk about executive experience being better than legislative experience is just plain blather. Making decisions by itself means nothing. George W. Bush makes decisions all the time, mostly bad ones if not actually disastrous ones. Senators and Congresspersons make decisions regularly, that’s what they are there for. You may be right that not much will happen no matter who is elected, but at the moment I prefer hope to cynicism (this could well change in the future)
How, that is, can a person who is demonstrably unfit for the Presidency prove that he/she is, no matter how ably they reads a speech from the teleprompter? I certainly don’t envy Palin this evening. The pressure on her to perform is immense. I do not wish her any bad luck even though I think she is just not Presidential material. John McCain has unfortunately led her along to apparently believe she is. She must be aware she is being rather cynically used by McCain for his own political gain. If she is not she must be kind of slow-witted (which I don’t believe), and if she knows, she obviously doesn’t care and is enjoying her new-found fame. What I found particularly repulsive was McCain embracing not only Bristol, but also her boyfriend. They should not be involved in this business at all, just another example of McCain’s hypocrisy and selfish maneuvering for the Presidency. He has already done everything possible, no matter how sleazy and hypocritical, to attain his goal, short of literally selling his soul (he may even have done this so far as I know).
Sarah Palin, having now gone with Lieberman to dutifully pay her respects to AIPAC and swear her fealty to Israel, can now go on to give the biggest speech of her career. For me, it doesn’t matter what she says, or how articulate or eloquent she is, she cannot convince me she is prepared for the Presidency, or even the Vice-Presidency. This is the biggest con job by the Brafia yet. It literally smells of Karl Rove. If she succeeds and does well, everything will just proceed as scheduled (if they win she can be exiled somewhere in the White House never to be heard from again). If she falters she can be thrown under the bus and the Brafia will bring in someone like (ta da!) Jeb Bush, at the last moment. It’s heads they win and tails their opponents lose. I have not decided yet whether I can risk watching her speech or not. The party members who are not themselves members of The Churches of the Altogether Bonkers, are doing a pretty good job of faked enthusiasm and following the party line.
Well, I watched. I couldn’t help myself. Curiosity got the better of me. I now understand better the concept of mob mentality. The (obviously partisan) crowd even cheered when she announced that her cousin and her husband (maybe her sister?) had built a gas station. It wasn’t, in my opinion, much of a speech, but the crowd ate it up. She began with her family and how wonderful they were. I thought for a while she was thanking everyone for her having won a beauty contest. Then she gave a worshipful account of McCain, followed by an account of her accomplishments as Governor. This was then followed by a series of absolutely outrageous lies about Obama’s tax plans, with some snide remarks about his beliefs about the middle class and religion. There were some remarks about oil drilling and energy in general, followed by another even longer worshipful account of how absolutely wonderful John McCain is, not forgetting to mention his time as a POW. There was nothing whatsoever about Hillary or breaking the ceiling or etc. At first I found it almost excruciatingly embarrassing, and when she got to the end I again thought it was rather embarrassing. But I guess it did the job. The mob loved it. I thought all in all it was rather pedestrian – Russia bad, Iran bad, Iraq victory, Obama bad, small towns good, religion good, and so on. As far as what she might do as Vice-President the only thing she mentioned was she would champion the rights of the handicapped.
What she neglected to mention entirely, of course, was her belief that creationism should be taught in the public schools, that she opposes abortion even in cases of incest and rape, she doesn’t believe global warming is the result of any human activity. She managed to avoid saying anything that might have been controversial in any way (at least in that context). Her party seems to be pleased with her, at least the mindless extremists are. For me there are some very good reasons why she should not be elected (to any significant public office at all); She doesn’t believe in any human responsibility for global warming in spite of the scientific evidence, she doesn’t believe in stem cell research in spite of the scientific evidence, she apparently doesn’t believe in evolution in spite of the scientific evidence, and she is indifferent to the endangered species act in spite of the scientific evidence. In short, she doesn’t seem to believe in science. This is the 21st century, not the Dark Ages. Instead of worrying so much about her qualifications, people should spend more time thinking about her disqualifications. She and McCain certainly do represent another four years of born again ignorance. That McCain would have picked such a person to be Vice-President (and possibly President) reveals not only his terribly bad judgment, but also his apparent contempt for the future of our nation.
Favorite (short) poems:
Mama
Mama
you samba so well
that your sensuality infuses all
who come close.
The whole room moves to
the sway of your hips,
beats to the pulse of your dance,
and blazes from the radiance of your body.
Oh, come to me
Mama!
Take my hands and
guide them with your rhythm,
so that I, too,
can learn how to shake an entire room.
Linda Langness
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
No, no, no!
“Humble Bob” consumes 11.5 lbs. of chili/
spaghetti in 10 minutes to defeat
Joey Chestnut in eating contest.
No, no, no, a thousand times no! I have had to stop watching TV coverage of the Brafia convention and other political news for fear of rising blood pressure and possible heart attack. I confess to becoming enraged at what I am hearing. If they want to argue that Palin was a brilliant choice I guess that is okay (I think it was an absolutely awful choice). If they want to argue that she might gather some female votes, especially Clinton supporter votes, I guess that is okay (I don’t believe she will). If they want to argue that her daugher’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy is somehow okay, and even a positive thing, I guess that, too, is okay (although more than a bit hypocritical). But it is when they seriously argue that she is prepared to step into the Presidency, should that be required, my blood pressure rises, my heart palpitates, and my anger boils over. Absurdity does not move me in any positive direction. Quite frankly, I believe my 22 year-old son would be more qualified, as he has at least spent considerable amounts of time traveling all over the United States and in Europe, and is a genuine political junkie with what I believe to be good judgment. I am serious about this. The Brafia, trying to compare Palin’s experience with that of Obama is itself absurd. Obama, first of all, is an expert on Constitutional Law, a handy thing to know if you are preparing for the Presidency. Second, he has had political experience, not only in the large and complicated state of Illinois, but also in the U. S. Senate. He has far more Foreign Policy experience (no matter how limited it might be) than Palin, who has none. Zero (except that Alaska is close to Russia!). Her experience in the PTA and as a small town mayor counts for what? She has been Governor of Alaska for only a relatively short time and is, in fact, still basically unproven (except for some scandals that are being investigated). In other words her experience, such as it is, has been in Podunk (Alaska has a smaller population than any state other than Wyoming and is much farther off in the “boondocks”). Her “executive experience” notwithstanding, she is not comparable to Obama, no matter what the desperate Brafia pundits want us to believe. She is not even remotely qualified to be President of the United States. The very idea is completely ridiculous. Hunting wolves from airplanes, hunting moose, eating mooseburgers, having five children, and even being a “maverick” (if, indeed, she really is one) do not qualify her for the Presidency. Nor does being a short time Governor of a remote state, and under investigation for abuse of power. All this proves to me is that the Brafia are so consumed with greed and clinging to power to serve their corporate masters, they are willing to sacrifice the Republic itself if need be. I don’t want to hear anymore bullshit about “Country First” coming from these reprehensible urban pirates. And if people in Montana and other western states vote for Palin because she’s a “woodsy outdoors type” they will get what they deserve. Indeed, the assumption that they will do this is insulting in and of itself.
I am not too far from my 80th birthday. I feel I am trapped in a foreign land from which there may be no escape. This is not the country of my youth when candidates for the Presidency, no matter which party they represented, had the best interest of the nation at heart. No more, Now the Brafia is all too willing to sacrifice the country itself in pursuit of their greed and lust for power. I never imagined it could come to this, not even in my most cynical moments. I hope these nightmare years of the early 21st century may come to an end soon. Our only hope lies with Obama.
LKBIQ:
Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.
George Bernard Shaw
spaghetti in 10 minutes to defeat
Joey Chestnut in eating contest.
No, no, no, a thousand times no! I have had to stop watching TV coverage of the Brafia convention and other political news for fear of rising blood pressure and possible heart attack. I confess to becoming enraged at what I am hearing. If they want to argue that Palin was a brilliant choice I guess that is okay (I think it was an absolutely awful choice). If they want to argue that she might gather some female votes, especially Clinton supporter votes, I guess that is okay (I don’t believe she will). If they want to argue that her daugher’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy is somehow okay, and even a positive thing, I guess that, too, is okay (although more than a bit hypocritical). But it is when they seriously argue that she is prepared to step into the Presidency, should that be required, my blood pressure rises, my heart palpitates, and my anger boils over. Absurdity does not move me in any positive direction. Quite frankly, I believe my 22 year-old son would be more qualified, as he has at least spent considerable amounts of time traveling all over the United States and in Europe, and is a genuine political junkie with what I believe to be good judgment. I am serious about this. The Brafia, trying to compare Palin’s experience with that of Obama is itself absurd. Obama, first of all, is an expert on Constitutional Law, a handy thing to know if you are preparing for the Presidency. Second, he has had political experience, not only in the large and complicated state of Illinois, but also in the U. S. Senate. He has far more Foreign Policy experience (no matter how limited it might be) than Palin, who has none. Zero (except that Alaska is close to Russia!). Her experience in the PTA and as a small town mayor counts for what? She has been Governor of Alaska for only a relatively short time and is, in fact, still basically unproven (except for some scandals that are being investigated). In other words her experience, such as it is, has been in Podunk (Alaska has a smaller population than any state other than Wyoming and is much farther off in the “boondocks”). Her “executive experience” notwithstanding, she is not comparable to Obama, no matter what the desperate Brafia pundits want us to believe. She is not even remotely qualified to be President of the United States. The very idea is completely ridiculous. Hunting wolves from airplanes, hunting moose, eating mooseburgers, having five children, and even being a “maverick” (if, indeed, she really is one) do not qualify her for the Presidency. Nor does being a short time Governor of a remote state, and under investigation for abuse of power. All this proves to me is that the Brafia are so consumed with greed and clinging to power to serve their corporate masters, they are willing to sacrifice the Republic itself if need be. I don’t want to hear anymore bullshit about “Country First” coming from these reprehensible urban pirates. And if people in Montana and other western states vote for Palin because she’s a “woodsy outdoors type” they will get what they deserve. Indeed, the assumption that they will do this is insulting in and of itself.
I am not too far from my 80th birthday. I feel I am trapped in a foreign land from which there may be no escape. This is not the country of my youth when candidates for the Presidency, no matter which party they represented, had the best interest of the nation at heart. No more, Now the Brafia is all too willing to sacrifice the country itself in pursuit of their greed and lust for power. I never imagined it could come to this, not even in my most cynical moments. I hope these nightmare years of the early 21st century may come to an end soon. Our only hope lies with Obama.
LKBIQ:
Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.
George Bernard Shaw
Monday, September 01, 2008
What (or who) is a "Dork"
Dear anonymous: Of course its blah, blah, blah, but its MY blah, blah, blah.
When Pat Buchanan asked MSNBC newsperson, Nora O’Donnell, why they were broadcasting something so stupid, she replied “Because there’s a 24-hour news cycle.” (I forgive her the terrible laugh for this). And so it is most of the time these days. Today it happens to be hurricane Gustaf. While I feel terrible for the people of that area, and while I acknowledge that it is newsworthy, I really don’t need a wave by wave, tree by tree, boat by boat or bus by bus evacuation description. Checking in once in a while would be quite sufficient. Apparently there is nothing else newsworthy in the entire world, so we get 24 hour detailed coverage of the flooding in Louisiana and Texas. News 24/7, except for a rare moment now and then, is basically a waste of everyone’s time.
As usual, when so little is being reported, my idle mind starts to wander and finds something to occupy it. Today it happens to be “Dorks.” Just what is a Dork? Why does this occupy me? Because I fear I may be one. Anyway, I looked up the word in a dictionary and just found myself confused. There seems to be no very precise, or even passably good, definition. It seems that dork is the name given to the whale penis. It is also suggested that dork may be a variant on dick, dick being also a euphemism for penis. I do not find this very satisfactory because dick is also a variant on prick. A prick is a slang term for someone who does something untoward like double-crossing a friend, or talking behind one’s back, or being a really bad boss, stuff like that. I cannot accept this as another form of Dork. I asked a linguist friend of mine what Dork meant. After careful thought she replied it means an idiot who is not retarded. The trouble with this definition is that it is far too general and could encompass the entire human population. Then I thought maybe it was like “Nerd.” But as Nerds are said to be those who passionately pursue intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge or other obscure interests, I don’t think it is a synonym for Dork. Next I tried “Geek.” Originally the term Geek referred to someone in a carnival who bit the heads off live chickens. Now, however, a Geek is said to be an odd person, especially one who is obsessed with intellectuality, electronics, gaming, or some such. This is really pretty much like Nerd. I have concluded that as Best Buy has a Geek Squad, Geeks are really just the professional version of Nerds. I thought perhaps Dweebs might work, but Dweeb is apparently just a synonym for Nerd or Geek. Fink doesn’t work either, because Fink is probably too similar to Prick, being someone who rats on a friend. The older slang term, “Square” doesn’t work either, as Dorks don’t run around with lots of pens and pencils in their shirt pockets or wear polyester pants. None of these terms seem to me to truly define the essence of Dork, which is also considered slang for a quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one out of touch with contemporary trends. This seems to me far too severe a definition, although the part about being out of touch strikes a chord. To me a Dork is not stupid, silly, odd, or seriously inept, but might well be somewhat out of touch with contemporary culture. When I think of a Dork I think of someone who is basically sound but dresses in a style just a touch out of touch with the present. Similarly, I think of a person who enjoys something that is out of vogue and is perhaps a touch sentimental. In the case of literature, for example, someone who still reads and enjoys Hemingway, or even Thomas Wolfe (but not Dickens or Shakespeare). In music, perhaps someone who enjoys September Song and the Hawaiian Love Song (but not Guy Lombardo). In movies, fans of For Whom the Bell Tolls or It Happened One Night (but not The Ten Commandments or She Wore a Yellow Ribbon). I cannot accept that Dorks are idiots or even seriously socially inept, although they could be somewhat quirky. They certainly don’t rat on their friends. While they might not be too intellectual, they are far from stupid, merely being somewhat indifferent to (but not completely out of touch with) the most current trends. I like Nerds and Geeks and Dweebs, but I like Dorks the best. Unfortunate, that whale penis, it’s giving us Dorks a bad name. I wish the English language was more precise.
So…Sarah Palin’s 17 year-old daughter is five months pregnant. I guess those abstinence lessons don’t always pay dividends. Apparently the only reason we know this is because it was released to dispel the rumor that she was pregnant last year. Those hot-blooded Alaskans! Who’s looking after the kids while mama is pursuing McCain’s dream of a glorious Presidency and perpetual war?
LKBIQ:
“He talked with ardour, despised and irrefutable. His picturesque and filthy loquacity flowed like a troubled stream from a poisoned source.”
Joseph Conrad (before Dick the Slimy was even born)
When Pat Buchanan asked MSNBC newsperson, Nora O’Donnell, why they were broadcasting something so stupid, she replied “Because there’s a 24-hour news cycle.” (I forgive her the terrible laugh for this). And so it is most of the time these days. Today it happens to be hurricane Gustaf. While I feel terrible for the people of that area, and while I acknowledge that it is newsworthy, I really don’t need a wave by wave, tree by tree, boat by boat or bus by bus evacuation description. Checking in once in a while would be quite sufficient. Apparently there is nothing else newsworthy in the entire world, so we get 24 hour detailed coverage of the flooding in Louisiana and Texas. News 24/7, except for a rare moment now and then, is basically a waste of everyone’s time.
As usual, when so little is being reported, my idle mind starts to wander and finds something to occupy it. Today it happens to be “Dorks.” Just what is a Dork? Why does this occupy me? Because I fear I may be one. Anyway, I looked up the word in a dictionary and just found myself confused. There seems to be no very precise, or even passably good, definition. It seems that dork is the name given to the whale penis. It is also suggested that dork may be a variant on dick, dick being also a euphemism for penis. I do not find this very satisfactory because dick is also a variant on prick. A prick is a slang term for someone who does something untoward like double-crossing a friend, or talking behind one’s back, or being a really bad boss, stuff like that. I cannot accept this as another form of Dork. I asked a linguist friend of mine what Dork meant. After careful thought she replied it means an idiot who is not retarded. The trouble with this definition is that it is far too general and could encompass the entire human population. Then I thought maybe it was like “Nerd.” But as Nerds are said to be those who passionately pursue intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge or other obscure interests, I don’t think it is a synonym for Dork. Next I tried “Geek.” Originally the term Geek referred to someone in a carnival who bit the heads off live chickens. Now, however, a Geek is said to be an odd person, especially one who is obsessed with intellectuality, electronics, gaming, or some such. This is really pretty much like Nerd. I have concluded that as Best Buy has a Geek Squad, Geeks are really just the professional version of Nerds. I thought perhaps Dweebs might work, but Dweeb is apparently just a synonym for Nerd or Geek. Fink doesn’t work either, because Fink is probably too similar to Prick, being someone who rats on a friend. The older slang term, “Square” doesn’t work either, as Dorks don’t run around with lots of pens and pencils in their shirt pockets or wear polyester pants. None of these terms seem to me to truly define the essence of Dork, which is also considered slang for a quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one out of touch with contemporary trends. This seems to me far too severe a definition, although the part about being out of touch strikes a chord. To me a Dork is not stupid, silly, odd, or seriously inept, but might well be somewhat out of touch with contemporary culture. When I think of a Dork I think of someone who is basically sound but dresses in a style just a touch out of touch with the present. Similarly, I think of a person who enjoys something that is out of vogue and is perhaps a touch sentimental. In the case of literature, for example, someone who still reads and enjoys Hemingway, or even Thomas Wolfe (but not Dickens or Shakespeare). In music, perhaps someone who enjoys September Song and the Hawaiian Love Song (but not Guy Lombardo). In movies, fans of For Whom the Bell Tolls or It Happened One Night (but not The Ten Commandments or She Wore a Yellow Ribbon). I cannot accept that Dorks are idiots or even seriously socially inept, although they could be somewhat quirky. They certainly don’t rat on their friends. While they might not be too intellectual, they are far from stupid, merely being somewhat indifferent to (but not completely out of touch with) the most current trends. I like Nerds and Geeks and Dweebs, but I like Dorks the best. Unfortunate, that whale penis, it’s giving us Dorks a bad name. I wish the English language was more precise.
So…Sarah Palin’s 17 year-old daughter is five months pregnant. I guess those abstinence lessons don’t always pay dividends. Apparently the only reason we know this is because it was released to dispel the rumor that she was pregnant last year. Those hot-blooded Alaskans! Who’s looking after the kids while mama is pursuing McCain’s dream of a glorious Presidency and perpetual war?
LKBIQ:
“He talked with ardour, despised and irrefutable. His picturesque and filthy loquacity flowed like a troubled stream from a poisoned source.”
Joseph Conrad (before Dick the Slimy was even born)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Is this real?
This can’t be real, can it? Pinch me. I must be dreaming. Is it really true that 72 year-old John McCain (with a history of health problems) is the Brafia candidate for President, and he has chosen 44 year-old Sarah Palin (Sarah, who?) for his VP? I mean, is this serious? Or has the Brafia already conceded defeat and are just humoring an old war hero? To me, this is the single most boneheaded pick for a running mate, not only that I have ever witnessed, but is even beyond my imagination. I have tried everything, closing my eyes, meditating, swinging a dead cat around my head three times, burying a potato under the eaves of my house, reading the entrails of chickens, consulting my personal oracle (my son Julian), and even reading everything I can find on the internet about this pick, and I truly, absolutely, positively, unequivocally, genuinely, seriously, cross my heart and hope to die, cannot even conceive of this woman as President of the United States (presumably the first and most important qualification for being Vice President is the ability to take over the Presidency if necessary). Maybe if I got really drunk or something? I guess it must just be me because I see in the papers and on the web that Idaho Republicans are ecstatic about this choice. One of my readers reports that a staunch Republican he knows is “torqued” because McCain chose a woman. And many have come out in support of her by trying to find something positive to say about her. One Fox commentator claims she has Foreign Policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia. Apparently the utter absurdity of this has escaped some, as Cindy McCain actually repeated this on a national broadcast today. They cite her accomplishments: she was a soccer mom, she belonged to the PTA, she was a beauty queen, she was a small town mayor, she is (an as yet unproven) Governor of Alaska (for some 20 rather controversial months), and she rides snowmobiles, hunts wolves and moose, and eats mooseburgers, all the prerequisites anyone could really need to be President of the most powerful nation on earth, beset by monumentally difficult and intractable problems everywhere. They have to be kidding. They just cannot be serious about this (unless, of course, it is true that they are collectively the most dimwitted people on the face of the earth). Anyway, what do I know?
At least we are going to be spared the appearances of Bush and Cheney at the Brafia convention (if, indeed, it comes off). Hurricane Gustaf came at just the right moment to give Bush/Cheney an excuse (however pitiful) to not have to appear (much to the relief of most everyone). After all, they have to be on alert in the White House to do nothing, as usual. John McCain and Sarah Palin are reportedly going to fly right into the teeth of the hurricane and battle it single-handedly (or something like that). McCain may even make his acceptance speech right there where all the action is. Whee! If part of the convention actually comes about, I wonder if anyone will challenge this ridiculous situation and simply refuse to accept her nomination? There must at least be some in the party that realize how bad this situation is (maybe not). A few have already suggested this pick has cost McCain any chance at all of winning the Presidency. I have thought all along that he couldn’t win and this should drive the final nail into the coffin (but remember, I am almost always wrong when it comes to electing Presidents and Governors).
Many in the MSM and elsewhere keep insisting this is going to be a close election. I have argued virtually from the beginning that Obama should win in a landslide. I still think so, especially after the McCain pick of the totally inexperienced and unqualified Palin. Now, if Obama does not, it can only be for one reason; American voters are not yet prepared to give up their absurd notions of white supremacy.
Favorite (short) poems:
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you 'grave for me:
Here he lies where he long'd to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
Robert Louis Stevenson
At least we are going to be spared the appearances of Bush and Cheney at the Brafia convention (if, indeed, it comes off). Hurricane Gustaf came at just the right moment to give Bush/Cheney an excuse (however pitiful) to not have to appear (much to the relief of most everyone). After all, they have to be on alert in the White House to do nothing, as usual. John McCain and Sarah Palin are reportedly going to fly right into the teeth of the hurricane and battle it single-handedly (or something like that). McCain may even make his acceptance speech right there where all the action is. Whee! If part of the convention actually comes about, I wonder if anyone will challenge this ridiculous situation and simply refuse to accept her nomination? There must at least be some in the party that realize how bad this situation is (maybe not). A few have already suggested this pick has cost McCain any chance at all of winning the Presidency. I have thought all along that he couldn’t win and this should drive the final nail into the coffin (but remember, I am almost always wrong when it comes to electing Presidents and Governors).
Many in the MSM and elsewhere keep insisting this is going to be a close election. I have argued virtually from the beginning that Obama should win in a landslide. I still think so, especially after the McCain pick of the totally inexperienced and unqualified Palin. Now, if Obama does not, it can only be for one reason; American voters are not yet prepared to give up their absurd notions of white supremacy.
Favorite (short) poems:
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you 'grave for me:
Here he lies where he long'd to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Saturday, August 30, 2008
John McCain's cruel joke
It is difficult to understand McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, to be his VP choice. This is a woman so woefully unprepared to be even Vice President, let alone President, that leading her to accept this nomination is little more than a cruel joke which will undoubtedly hurt her and probably backfire on McCain. More than a cruel joke, it is an insult to the American public. First of all, McCain doesn’t even know her, having apparently spoken to her only a couple of times prior to his selection (so much for his wanting someone he could be comfortable with). After all these weeks of criticizing Obama as being unprepared for the Presidency, he picks a woman who makes Obama look like a grizzled veteran more than ready. The Brafia spokespersons are trying desperately to show that Palin is as experienced as Obama even though the comparison is patently absurd. One of these spokesman (on Fox news, I think) actually claimed she has Foreign Policy experience because Alaska is close to Russia! I’m not certain that she has ever been out of the U.S., and I doubt she has often even been out of Alaska. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Idaho. Obama has a law degree from Harvard, was editor of the Harvard Law Review, and is a Constitutional Lawyer. She was mayor of a small town in Alaska before becoming Governor two years ago. Next to Wyoming, Alaska has the smallest population of any state, some 500,000 pretty widely scattered voters. Obama served in the Illinois state senate and in the U.S. Senate for as long as she has been Governor. He is widely traveled and has at least some Foreign Policy experience. She has none.
I guess McCain believes she will appeal to the base. It’s hard to believe she is going to appeal to anyone else. She is completely anti-abortion, is opposed to equal pay for equal work, wants to drill in ANWAR, participates in hunting wolves from airplanes, believes creationism should be taught in the public schools, apparently doesn’t believe in evolution, voted against saving the Polar Bears, is a hunter and snowmobiler, likes mooseburgers (what this has to do with anything I’m not sure), and does not believe human activity has anything to do with global warming. She is either a fool or an idiot, or both. She once won a beauty contest in her small town and later was runner-up in the Miss Alaska contest. She is a mother with five children. Her husband is said to be part Eskimo. She is currently being investigated for some kind of quasi-nepotism problem. This is what McCain wants to bequeath us as President should anything happen to him (he’s 72). Is this McCain’s idea of “Country First?” I should think this shows nothing but contempt for our country. I personally believe if this is not just a sick joke it is an example of absolutely irresponsible judgment. McCain is a known sexist and apparently believes American women are completely stupid. He is using this young woman for his own political purposes, pure and simple, and she apparently believes she is qualified to be President. I cannot, no matter how I try, imagine this woman as President of the U.S. While this ploy might win a few votes from women so far out on the extreme right as Palin, I think it is unlikely to generate many votes from Hillary Clinton supporters (even the outraged ones). McCain was said to need a “wow” moment. He has now used up his wow moment and there are unlikely to be many more coming. From now on it’s just Calamity John and his sidekick, Ms. Desperation. I wonder if she was even thoroughly vetted and if she will stand up to the scrutiny she is about to receive. This could prove to be truly embarrassing for both her and McCain. One person I talked with this morning suggested that McCain knows he can’t win so he just wants to have some “fun.” Some fun. Romney and others who were under consideration are said to be furious (and for good reason).
LKBIQ:
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Napoleon Bonaparte
I guess McCain believes she will appeal to the base. It’s hard to believe she is going to appeal to anyone else. She is completely anti-abortion, is opposed to equal pay for equal work, wants to drill in ANWAR, participates in hunting wolves from airplanes, believes creationism should be taught in the public schools, apparently doesn’t believe in evolution, voted against saving the Polar Bears, is a hunter and snowmobiler, likes mooseburgers (what this has to do with anything I’m not sure), and does not believe human activity has anything to do with global warming. She is either a fool or an idiot, or both. She once won a beauty contest in her small town and later was runner-up in the Miss Alaska contest. She is a mother with five children. Her husband is said to be part Eskimo. She is currently being investigated for some kind of quasi-nepotism problem. This is what McCain wants to bequeath us as President should anything happen to him (he’s 72). Is this McCain’s idea of “Country First?” I should think this shows nothing but contempt for our country. I personally believe if this is not just a sick joke it is an example of absolutely irresponsible judgment. McCain is a known sexist and apparently believes American women are completely stupid. He is using this young woman for his own political purposes, pure and simple, and she apparently believes she is qualified to be President. I cannot, no matter how I try, imagine this woman as President of the U.S. While this ploy might win a few votes from women so far out on the extreme right as Palin, I think it is unlikely to generate many votes from Hillary Clinton supporters (even the outraged ones). McCain was said to need a “wow” moment. He has now used up his wow moment and there are unlikely to be many more coming. From now on it’s just Calamity John and his sidekick, Ms. Desperation. I wonder if she was even thoroughly vetted and if she will stand up to the scrutiny she is about to receive. This could prove to be truly embarrassing for both her and McCain. One person I talked with this morning suggested that McCain knows he can’t win so he just wants to have some “fun.” Some fun. Romney and others who were under consideration are said to be furious (and for good reason).
LKBIQ:
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Friday, August 29, 2008
The Fifth Great Blow
Ohio woman convicted
of killing month old baby
in her microwave oven.
A fifth blow to Man’s ego? At least to the ego of Western-European white men (no one in the west has ever been much concerned with the egos of anyone else). Anyway, some years back, when the notion of cultural relativity was first gaining some recognition (and running into a lot of resistance) someone (I believe it was Ruth Benedict but it may have been someone else) suggested there had been four great blows to Man’s ego. The first great blow was, of course, the Copernican revolution, when Copernicus demonstrated that the earth was not the center of the universe and, in fact, was merely a planet revolving around the sun. The second blow was the Darwinian discovery of the theory of evolution in which mankind was removed from his elevated position and shown to be part of the animal kingdom. Then there was the Freudian blow that suggested that far from being the rational, sensible creature they thought they were, people were actually driven by unconscious desires and motives of which they were not necessarily even aware. The fourth blow was the discovery (or argument) that values, far from being fixed and unchanging, were actually relative to the various cultures in which they were found.
Might I have the temerity to suggest that if Barack Obama becomes President of the United States this will constitute a fifth great blow to the egos of white Europeans. This is so because it will not only shatter the long-standing belief in white superiority, but will also involve a change in the basic paradigm that has guided European thought for the past few centuries. That is, the notion of the Great Chain of Being, in which all creatures were located on an evolutionary and even moral continuum, from the lowest to the highest, with white Europeans at the very top of the chain. This was related to the false notion that cultures evolved in the same way physical evolution did, with some cultures (European ones) being at the apex and all others being placed on a somewhat lower level (that went roughly from “savages” to “barbarians” to we “civilized” and presumably morally superior creatures”). This paradigm allowed Europeans to blissfully and savagely take over and colonize most of the world. The conquest was unbelievably brutal and took place all over – in Asia, Africa, South America, the Philippines and even Siberia. Christianity was interpreted in such a way as to support this imperialism, as was the theory of cultural evolution, and the discovery of racial differences during the age of exploration. Non-Europeans were believed to be less than human and therefore dispensable in the name of progress (which was also part of the European belief system). Barack Obama has already made an important challenge to this basic paradigm, and if he succeeds in becoming President it will have far-reaching consequences that might not be completely apparent at first but will over time result in a new paradigm. When Obama speaks of change I do not believe this is what he has in mind, but this is what will result and it will be far more important that merely bringing out troops home from Iraq and changing the tax code and etc. There will be a monumental paradigm shift every bit as important as any of the other Great Blows to our egos. It will have been a long time in coming, and will not, of course, undo the terrible damage that resulted from these false paradigmatic beliefs, but it may become a tremendous boon to our human existence on this small and inconsequential planet.
LKBIQ:
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein
of killing month old baby
in her microwave oven.
A fifth blow to Man’s ego? At least to the ego of Western-European white men (no one in the west has ever been much concerned with the egos of anyone else). Anyway, some years back, when the notion of cultural relativity was first gaining some recognition (and running into a lot of resistance) someone (I believe it was Ruth Benedict but it may have been someone else) suggested there had been four great blows to Man’s ego. The first great blow was, of course, the Copernican revolution, when Copernicus demonstrated that the earth was not the center of the universe and, in fact, was merely a planet revolving around the sun. The second blow was the Darwinian discovery of the theory of evolution in which mankind was removed from his elevated position and shown to be part of the animal kingdom. Then there was the Freudian blow that suggested that far from being the rational, sensible creature they thought they were, people were actually driven by unconscious desires and motives of which they were not necessarily even aware. The fourth blow was the discovery (or argument) that values, far from being fixed and unchanging, were actually relative to the various cultures in which they were found.
Might I have the temerity to suggest that if Barack Obama becomes President of the United States this will constitute a fifth great blow to the egos of white Europeans. This is so because it will not only shatter the long-standing belief in white superiority, but will also involve a change in the basic paradigm that has guided European thought for the past few centuries. That is, the notion of the Great Chain of Being, in which all creatures were located on an evolutionary and even moral continuum, from the lowest to the highest, with white Europeans at the very top of the chain. This was related to the false notion that cultures evolved in the same way physical evolution did, with some cultures (European ones) being at the apex and all others being placed on a somewhat lower level (that went roughly from “savages” to “barbarians” to we “civilized” and presumably morally superior creatures”). This paradigm allowed Europeans to blissfully and savagely take over and colonize most of the world. The conquest was unbelievably brutal and took place all over – in Asia, Africa, South America, the Philippines and even Siberia. Christianity was interpreted in such a way as to support this imperialism, as was the theory of cultural evolution, and the discovery of racial differences during the age of exploration. Non-Europeans were believed to be less than human and therefore dispensable in the name of progress (which was also part of the European belief system). Barack Obama has already made an important challenge to this basic paradigm, and if he succeeds in becoming President it will have far-reaching consequences that might not be completely apparent at first but will over time result in a new paradigm. When Obama speaks of change I do not believe this is what he has in mind, but this is what will result and it will be far more important that merely bringing out troops home from Iraq and changing the tax code and etc. There will be a monumental paradigm shift every bit as important as any of the other Great Blows to our egos. It will have been a long time in coming, and will not, of course, undo the terrible damage that resulted from these false paradigmatic beliefs, but it may become a tremendous boon to our human existence on this small and inconsequential planet.
LKBIQ:
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The "Big Dog" speaks
Well, the “Big Dog” spoke, and he said all the things he was supposed to say. It wasn’t a great speech, didn’t even approach Hillary’s (probably by design), but it was exactly what was required. And it did set the stage nicely for Joe Biden’s speech which was also exactly what was required. The convention up until now has been a resounding success. It is hard to imagine how Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden could have been any more together in bringing the party together, as well as beginning the attack on McCain. If everyone would stop worrying so much about hurting Calamity John’s feelings, and just tell the truth about him, he would soon crumble. If they can move the focus from Obama and shift it to McCain it will make all the difference needed.
I cannot believe the suspicion people have about the Clintons. They have both done what was expected of them, and what was needed by the party, but there are still those who think they didn’t do enough and it was still all about them. One commenter remarked that Hillary didn’t really say enough about Obama being prepared to be President, so that means she is still thinking about 2012. I guess the fact that Bill emphasized that Obama was qualified doesn’t count. One Republican analyst (or whatever he is) actually suggested that in the privacy of the voting booth the Clintons would vote for McCain. As Hillary has spent much of her career fighting for universal health case, and McCain offers nothing in the way of that, wouldn’t that make a difference? This seems to be a case of “let no good deed go unpunished.”
Although it was clear that many of those in attendance at the convention were aware of the awesome historical significance of Obama’s nomination, and were in tears, I’m not certain that the general public is aware of just how important this is. I must say I am enormously proud of our country for being able to overcome our legacy of racial discrimination, and do it so relatively quickly. The same thing holds true for our legacy of gender discrimination. Clinton and Obama have gone to extraordinary distances in bringing about change. This will be true no matter what the outcome of the election may be. This election is of such historical significance it will influence not only what happens here in the U.S., but will also have an effect upon the entire world. If Obama is elected it will have an even much greater effect and will demonstrate that the American experience is, in fact, working as stated and planned.
I am all for Obama/Biden and I want them elected in the worst way. No matter how they might turn out they cannot possibly be as bad as Bush/Cheney (who I hope will be held accountable for their terrible war crimes). I do, however, have reservations about our Foreign Policy under the Obama/Biden administration. Biden is way too much of a hawk for my taste, and I believe Obama’s wanting to furnish more troops to the Afghanistan “war” is a terrible mistake. There is no way we can possibly “win” anything in Afghanistan, and protecting Cheney’s oil and pipeline interests by sacrificing more of our troops is basically a lost cause, to say nothing of disgusting and immoral.
LKBIQ:
Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Susan Ertz
I cannot believe the suspicion people have about the Clintons. They have both done what was expected of them, and what was needed by the party, but there are still those who think they didn’t do enough and it was still all about them. One commenter remarked that Hillary didn’t really say enough about Obama being prepared to be President, so that means she is still thinking about 2012. I guess the fact that Bill emphasized that Obama was qualified doesn’t count. One Republican analyst (or whatever he is) actually suggested that in the privacy of the voting booth the Clintons would vote for McCain. As Hillary has spent much of her career fighting for universal health case, and McCain offers nothing in the way of that, wouldn’t that make a difference? This seems to be a case of “let no good deed go unpunished.”
Although it was clear that many of those in attendance at the convention were aware of the awesome historical significance of Obama’s nomination, and were in tears, I’m not certain that the general public is aware of just how important this is. I must say I am enormously proud of our country for being able to overcome our legacy of racial discrimination, and do it so relatively quickly. The same thing holds true for our legacy of gender discrimination. Clinton and Obama have gone to extraordinary distances in bringing about change. This will be true no matter what the outcome of the election may be. This election is of such historical significance it will influence not only what happens here in the U.S., but will also have an effect upon the entire world. If Obama is elected it will have an even much greater effect and will demonstrate that the American experience is, in fact, working as stated and planned.
I am all for Obama/Biden and I want them elected in the worst way. No matter how they might turn out they cannot possibly be as bad as Bush/Cheney (who I hope will be held accountable for their terrible war crimes). I do, however, have reservations about our Foreign Policy under the Obama/Biden administration. Biden is way too much of a hawk for my taste, and I believe Obama’s wanting to furnish more troops to the Afghanistan “war” is a terrible mistake. There is no way we can possibly “win” anything in Afghanistan, and protecting Cheney’s oil and pipeline interests by sacrificing more of our troops is basically a lost cause, to say nothing of disgusting and immoral.
LKBIQ:
Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Susan Ertz
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Hillary's home run
Woman charged with misdemeanor
for registering her Australian-
sheperd/terrior to vote.
Hillary Clinton gave an absolutely electrifying speech tonight. She could not have done any better with her task of convincing her supporters to vote for Obama. Although she was very critical of both Bush and McCain, and made it clear what the differences between the two parties are, I think it will still be up to Joe Biden to mount the full-fledged, all-out attack on Bush/McCain. No one so far has mentioned torture, illegal spying, war profiteering, lying us into a “war,” and the almost uncountable scandals of the present administration. Will either Bill Clinton or Joe Biden do so? If not, why not? I do not understand why Democrats insist on handling the Brafia with such kid gloves. The worst President in U.S. history, the lowest ratings of any President, 80% of the public believing we are on the wrong track, the largest debt in history, and on and on. Why the reticence to tell it like it really is? And why is Dick the Slimy being spared? I simply do not understand this.
I also do not understand why MSNBC pays big bucks for Chris Matthews to blather on making a fool of himself. It’s not only that he talks when he should be listening, it’s also that he says things that are just plain stupid. I believe I saw Olberman actually roll his eyes at one of Matthew’s more idiotic pronouncements. Pat Buchanan is just as bad. Tonight he was so far out in some separate universe that even his fellow panelists were laughing at him. It was almost as if they were having a contest to see who could say the dumbest things. They both seem to get some idea in their head, no matter how absurd, and then become obsessed with it. I think this is part of the news 24/7 syndrome where they just have to keep talking even with nothing to say. Frankly, I think we got more actual news back in the days when we received it once a week in the movie houses. At least we didn’t have to put up with hours of nothing but mindless blabber and idiocy.
Another casualty of 24/7 news, along with the restricted corporate ownership of the major networks, seems to be “truth.” It may be the case that we never had absolute truth about things but we used to at least think we did sometimes. That was because we trusted the media to hold our politicians and others to account when they strayed too far from the facts. Now Bush, Cheney, and others are allowed to say absolutely blatantly false things and are rarely if ever challenged by reporters. When one does challenge them, like Helen Thomas, they are moved to the back of the room and ignored in favor of someone who is more receptive to the garbage they hand out on a daily basis. They even go so far as to use shills and fake reporters. We have reached the point where no one trusts anything they hear anymore. This is not healthy for a so-called democracy, not at all, and it smells, of course, of fascism. When you allow the world to be controlled by a small number of huge corporations and obscenely wealthy people what do you expect?
None of this is going to change if McCain should, by some evil trick of fate, get elected. Democrats must not only control the White House, they also need to chalk up majorities in both the House and the Senate. Failing this, there is little to hope for. Michelle’s speech last night, and Hillary’s speech tonight should go a long way to bringing about a resounding Democratic victory in the coming election.
LKBIQ:
The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.
Edith Sitwell
for registering her Australian-
sheperd/terrior to vote.
Hillary Clinton gave an absolutely electrifying speech tonight. She could not have done any better with her task of convincing her supporters to vote for Obama. Although she was very critical of both Bush and McCain, and made it clear what the differences between the two parties are, I think it will still be up to Joe Biden to mount the full-fledged, all-out attack on Bush/McCain. No one so far has mentioned torture, illegal spying, war profiteering, lying us into a “war,” and the almost uncountable scandals of the present administration. Will either Bill Clinton or Joe Biden do so? If not, why not? I do not understand why Democrats insist on handling the Brafia with such kid gloves. The worst President in U.S. history, the lowest ratings of any President, 80% of the public believing we are on the wrong track, the largest debt in history, and on and on. Why the reticence to tell it like it really is? And why is Dick the Slimy being spared? I simply do not understand this.
I also do not understand why MSNBC pays big bucks for Chris Matthews to blather on making a fool of himself. It’s not only that he talks when he should be listening, it’s also that he says things that are just plain stupid. I believe I saw Olberman actually roll his eyes at one of Matthew’s more idiotic pronouncements. Pat Buchanan is just as bad. Tonight he was so far out in some separate universe that even his fellow panelists were laughing at him. It was almost as if they were having a contest to see who could say the dumbest things. They both seem to get some idea in their head, no matter how absurd, and then become obsessed with it. I think this is part of the news 24/7 syndrome where they just have to keep talking even with nothing to say. Frankly, I think we got more actual news back in the days when we received it once a week in the movie houses. At least we didn’t have to put up with hours of nothing but mindless blabber and idiocy.
Another casualty of 24/7 news, along with the restricted corporate ownership of the major networks, seems to be “truth.” It may be the case that we never had absolute truth about things but we used to at least think we did sometimes. That was because we trusted the media to hold our politicians and others to account when they strayed too far from the facts. Now Bush, Cheney, and others are allowed to say absolutely blatantly false things and are rarely if ever challenged by reporters. When one does challenge them, like Helen Thomas, they are moved to the back of the room and ignored in favor of someone who is more receptive to the garbage they hand out on a daily basis. They even go so far as to use shills and fake reporters. We have reached the point where no one trusts anything they hear anymore. This is not healthy for a so-called democracy, not at all, and it smells, of course, of fascism. When you allow the world to be controlled by a small number of huge corporations and obscenely wealthy people what do you expect?
None of this is going to change if McCain should, by some evil trick of fate, get elected. Democrats must not only control the White House, they also need to chalk up majorities in both the House and the Senate. Failing this, there is little to hope for. Michelle’s speech last night, and Hillary’s speech tonight should go a long way to bringing about a resounding Democratic victory in the coming election.
LKBIQ:
The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.
Edith Sitwell
Monday, August 25, 2008
Michelle
Would someone kindly explain to me why Cindy McCain is going to Georgia to assess civilian casualties. This is one of the strangest things I have ever heard.
I do not see how Michelle Obama could possibly have made a better speech than the one she just made tonight. It was terrific in every way, passionate and to the point, precisely what she needed to do. She will make a wonderful First Lady. If anyone says now they do not know the Obamas they are obviously not interested in doing so. She was doubly successful, given the fact that she had to follow the very emotional appearance of Ted Kennedy. Many women were in tears, and rightly so. Obama is a very lucky man.
The MSM is working as hard as they can to emphasize the so-called split in the Democratic Party between the unyielding pro-Hillary Democrats and the pro-Obama Democrats. I do not believe the pro-Hillary contingent is anywhere near as large or important as the MSM wants us to believe (probably to have something to talk about). Pat Buchanan is one of the worst offenders when it comes to this but, I suspect for an entirely different reason. Someone should tell Hillary, you lost, Obama won, let it go. Perhaps this will happen tomorrow and Wednesday. Supposedly all of this is being worked out, but some still worry about Bill Clinton who can be unpredictable.
The tribute to Ted Kennedy was moving and very much deserved. He has truly been a remarkable Senator for such a long time, and a great example of what a Democrat should be like. During my lifetime the Democratic Party has always stood on the side of labor as opposed to business, that difference has badly (and sadly) deteriorated over time. Perhaps Obama/Biden will be able to re-emphasize it once again and break the corporate stranglehold on our country.
If automobiles and trucks can be made to run on used grease from fast-food restaurants, perhaps they could be made to run on the millions, perhaps billions of pounds of fat all these people on TV claim to have lost. Don’t you sometimes wonder why these people who are so concerned to lose weight don’t worry more about putting it on in the first place.
LKBIQ:
Say what you will about the Ten Commandments, you must always come back to the pleasant fact that there are only ten of them.
H. L. Mencken
I do not see how Michelle Obama could possibly have made a better speech than the one she just made tonight. It was terrific in every way, passionate and to the point, precisely what she needed to do. She will make a wonderful First Lady. If anyone says now they do not know the Obamas they are obviously not interested in doing so. She was doubly successful, given the fact that she had to follow the very emotional appearance of Ted Kennedy. Many women were in tears, and rightly so. Obama is a very lucky man.
The MSM is working as hard as they can to emphasize the so-called split in the Democratic Party between the unyielding pro-Hillary Democrats and the pro-Obama Democrats. I do not believe the pro-Hillary contingent is anywhere near as large or important as the MSM wants us to believe (probably to have something to talk about). Pat Buchanan is one of the worst offenders when it comes to this but, I suspect for an entirely different reason. Someone should tell Hillary, you lost, Obama won, let it go. Perhaps this will happen tomorrow and Wednesday. Supposedly all of this is being worked out, but some still worry about Bill Clinton who can be unpredictable.
The tribute to Ted Kennedy was moving and very much deserved. He has truly been a remarkable Senator for such a long time, and a great example of what a Democrat should be like. During my lifetime the Democratic Party has always stood on the side of labor as opposed to business, that difference has badly (and sadly) deteriorated over time. Perhaps Obama/Biden will be able to re-emphasize it once again and break the corporate stranglehold on our country.
If automobiles and trucks can be made to run on used grease from fast-food restaurants, perhaps they could be made to run on the millions, perhaps billions of pounds of fat all these people on TV claim to have lost. Don’t you sometimes wonder why these people who are so concerned to lose weight don’t worry more about putting it on in the first place.
LKBIQ:
Say what you will about the Ten Commandments, you must always come back to the pleasant fact that there are only ten of them.
H. L. Mencken
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The die is cast
Catholic Priest to sponsor
a beauty contest for nuns
to increase their visibility
The die is cast. Joe Biden is Barack Obama’s choice for VP. We don’t need a bunch of post-mortems. What if he had chosen Hillary, what if he had chosen x or y, or even z. He has chosen Biden. I also don’t believe we need a lot of questions about Biden’s background and possible flaws. I’m sure he was carefully vetted by the Obama team. He has been in the Senate for so long there cannot be much that is not known about him. What is known is very positive. He’s a family man. He’s championed labor throughout his career. he rides the Amtrak home every night, he’s a long-time friend of John McCain but he disagrees with him and is not afraid to say so, and he does not seem to have much in the way of money. I find this particularly interesting as one comment I had suggested Biden could not have stayed in office so long without the support of Delaware corporations. I don’t know if that is true or not, but if his net worth is something in the range of $150,000, as I recently saw somewhere, it would appear they haven’t paid him very well or he has frittered away a lot of money. I did not think Obama would choose Biden (clinging to my apparent fantasy that at the last moment he would pick Hillary), but he did, and Biden seems now to be a fine choice. We all need to get behind this ticket and get rid of the Brafia once and for all.
These die-hard Clinton supporters are a mystery to me. They don’t seem to be an ignorant bunch or uninformed, but their behavior is totally irrational, especially those who claim they will vote for McCain. I agree there was a lot of sexism involved in the campaign, especially on the part of some in the MSM, and I also agree this was unfortunate, uncalled for, and out-of-place. But I can’t recall that Obama himself was involved in any significant instances of sexism (if I missed something please let me know). In any case, it was not Obama’s sexism that kept Hillary from winning the nomination. When the campaign began I thought a lot of Hillary, then as it proceeded I came to actively dislike her, and by now I have become somewhat ambivalent. I do think that if you consider carefully her behavior during the campaign you might conclude that she did things that could have been interpreted as overly feminine and thus may have invited some of the sexism. For example, her changes of mind, her sometimes irrational responses and claims, her crying (I still do not believe she cried on purpose), and so on. Even so, whether this is true or not, I don’t think it should have made any difference, but it might have. All in all I believe Obama treated her with respect and actively tried to avoid sexism. The worst offenders were pretty clearly Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, and a few others. Why these rabid Hillary supporters should hold this against Obama I don’t know. And why they would vote for McCain is totally incomprehensible to me. I still think Hillary would have in many ways been a logical and useful choice. But of course the presence of Bill Clinton around the White House would have been completely untenable. I subconsciously (I think) tried to rationalize this problem by thinking it would be possible to work something out, but of course it didn’t happen.
The weather here at Sandhill has been pretty good lately. Our large garden is flourishing and some harvesting has begun. My wife is making dilly beans in large quantities and I am tiring of picking beans. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, crook-neck squash, beets, and carrots are coming on strong. Our corn is being strangled by climbing beans and the winter squash is threatening to invade the house and strangle us in our sleep. Somewhat to my dismay we have adopted an orphaned cat, almost completely black, about six months old, which we believe may have been abused and abandoned. Our three other cats hate him. He is too innocent to understand. All in all, life is good at the moment. It will soon be fall, my favorite time of year. Cheers. Look forward to a Democratic administration and better times ahead.
LKBIQ:
Take hope from the heart of man, and you make him a beast of prey.
Quida
a beauty contest for nuns
to increase their visibility
The die is cast. Joe Biden is Barack Obama’s choice for VP. We don’t need a bunch of post-mortems. What if he had chosen Hillary, what if he had chosen x or y, or even z. He has chosen Biden. I also don’t believe we need a lot of questions about Biden’s background and possible flaws. I’m sure he was carefully vetted by the Obama team. He has been in the Senate for so long there cannot be much that is not known about him. What is known is very positive. He’s a family man. He’s championed labor throughout his career. he rides the Amtrak home every night, he’s a long-time friend of John McCain but he disagrees with him and is not afraid to say so, and he does not seem to have much in the way of money. I find this particularly interesting as one comment I had suggested Biden could not have stayed in office so long without the support of Delaware corporations. I don’t know if that is true or not, but if his net worth is something in the range of $150,000, as I recently saw somewhere, it would appear they haven’t paid him very well or he has frittered away a lot of money. I did not think Obama would choose Biden (clinging to my apparent fantasy that at the last moment he would pick Hillary), but he did, and Biden seems now to be a fine choice. We all need to get behind this ticket and get rid of the Brafia once and for all.
These die-hard Clinton supporters are a mystery to me. They don’t seem to be an ignorant bunch or uninformed, but their behavior is totally irrational, especially those who claim they will vote for McCain. I agree there was a lot of sexism involved in the campaign, especially on the part of some in the MSM, and I also agree this was unfortunate, uncalled for, and out-of-place. But I can’t recall that Obama himself was involved in any significant instances of sexism (if I missed something please let me know). In any case, it was not Obama’s sexism that kept Hillary from winning the nomination. When the campaign began I thought a lot of Hillary, then as it proceeded I came to actively dislike her, and by now I have become somewhat ambivalent. I do think that if you consider carefully her behavior during the campaign you might conclude that she did things that could have been interpreted as overly feminine and thus may have invited some of the sexism. For example, her changes of mind, her sometimes irrational responses and claims, her crying (I still do not believe she cried on purpose), and so on. Even so, whether this is true or not, I don’t think it should have made any difference, but it might have. All in all I believe Obama treated her with respect and actively tried to avoid sexism. The worst offenders were pretty clearly Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, and a few others. Why these rabid Hillary supporters should hold this against Obama I don’t know. And why they would vote for McCain is totally incomprehensible to me. I still think Hillary would have in many ways been a logical and useful choice. But of course the presence of Bill Clinton around the White House would have been completely untenable. I subconsciously (I think) tried to rationalize this problem by thinking it would be possible to work something out, but of course it didn’t happen.
The weather here at Sandhill has been pretty good lately. Our large garden is flourishing and some harvesting has begun. My wife is making dilly beans in large quantities and I am tiring of picking beans. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, crook-neck squash, beets, and carrots are coming on strong. Our corn is being strangled by climbing beans and the winter squash is threatening to invade the house and strangle us in our sleep. Somewhat to my dismay we have adopted an orphaned cat, almost completely black, about six months old, which we believe may have been abused and abandoned. Our three other cats hate him. He is too innocent to understand. All in all, life is good at the moment. It will soon be fall, my favorite time of year. Cheers. Look forward to a Democratic administration and better times ahead.
LKBIQ:
Take hope from the heart of man, and you make him a beast of prey.
Quida
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Joe Biden
Goat tied to tree
shot to death
with arrows
My gut feeling that Obama might pick Hillary was wrong. My skepticism about Joe Biden was misplaced. I’d like to think I was wrong because I’m old – but I was usually wrong when younger as well. I never thought Nixon could be elected, or Reagan, or Bush, or Scharzenager, so I guess I must be completely out of touch with the American voter. I hesitate to say that McCain cannot be elected as my record is so dismal. But I cannot see how he could possibly be elected, given what we know about him and his warmongering ways, and running on the Bush/Cheney record of absolute disaster everywhere. I won’t bother to comment again on all the things that are wrong with Calamity John, but if by chance he does get elected I may have to visit a psychiatrist.
Is Joe Biden a good choice for Obama? I think so. He’s been in the Senate so long he could have succumbed to the desire to accumulate wealth but has not done so. He seems to have a spotless personal life. He seems to be an all around good guy. The one thing that troubles me has to do with his position on drugs. As I believe legalizing drugs is perhaps one of the most important issues in the U.S., given Biden’s record on drugs I believe he would not be in favor of legalization (I could be wrong). But as drug legalization is apparently not much of an issue at the moment, given everything else that is wrong with the country, I don’t suppose it really matters much what Biden thinks about it. Some people think he may be too tough on guns. The NRA has given him an “F.” I looked up his voting record and his votes seem eminently reasonable to me (no vote against anything having to do with guns is acceptable to the NRA). Some think he talks too much and is prone to foot in mouth disease, but after eight years of Bush’s garbled and moronic use of our language I doubt Biden should worry too much about it (of course the MSM will use a double standard on the speech of a Democrat). I think from Obama’s point of view Biden is a fine choice. One could argue that the choice of Biden is an admission of inadequacy on Obama’s part, but on the other hand, Obama should be commended for recognizing his limitations and making a serious decision to do something about them. One thing for certain, Biden will not have to take any crap from McCain about Foreign Policy or the military. His vast experience on Foreign Affairs and on the Judiciary Committee cannot but help an Obama administration. He has already come out swinging at McCain, his friend for some 30 plus years, but with whom he has real disagreements. He seems to fit naturally into the role of VP attack dog, something the Democrats desperately need at this time.
Those nasty Russians. What are they doing looking out for their own national interests in their own sphere of influence. The next thing you know the Iranians will want to do the same. And then others. Don’t they realize that their interests have to coincide with ours – or else? The “or else” doesn’t seem to matter much these days, but that doesn’t seem to tone down the bluster and idle threats. Where are horses when you need them? One might also ask, where are common sense and brains when you need them? Obama/Biden should be a winning combination. But excuse me while I consult my oracle.
I have been reading Hesse, The Journey to the East. Frankly, I don’t think I understand it very well. I think a journey to the east in search of ultimate truth is something a young man might undertake, but the real journey for all of us is a consistent, long, difficult, and inevitable journey to the west. The sun may rise in the east, and to the east may lie hope and new beginnings, but the ultimate truth resides in the west where the sun always sets, closes the day, and has the last word.
LKBIQ:
The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.
H. L. Mencken
shot to death
with arrows
My gut feeling that Obama might pick Hillary was wrong. My skepticism about Joe Biden was misplaced. I’d like to think I was wrong because I’m old – but I was usually wrong when younger as well. I never thought Nixon could be elected, or Reagan, or Bush, or Scharzenager, so I guess I must be completely out of touch with the American voter. I hesitate to say that McCain cannot be elected as my record is so dismal. But I cannot see how he could possibly be elected, given what we know about him and his warmongering ways, and running on the Bush/Cheney record of absolute disaster everywhere. I won’t bother to comment again on all the things that are wrong with Calamity John, but if by chance he does get elected I may have to visit a psychiatrist.
Is Joe Biden a good choice for Obama? I think so. He’s been in the Senate so long he could have succumbed to the desire to accumulate wealth but has not done so. He seems to have a spotless personal life. He seems to be an all around good guy. The one thing that troubles me has to do with his position on drugs. As I believe legalizing drugs is perhaps one of the most important issues in the U.S., given Biden’s record on drugs I believe he would not be in favor of legalization (I could be wrong). But as drug legalization is apparently not much of an issue at the moment, given everything else that is wrong with the country, I don’t suppose it really matters much what Biden thinks about it. Some people think he may be too tough on guns. The NRA has given him an “F.” I looked up his voting record and his votes seem eminently reasonable to me (no vote against anything having to do with guns is acceptable to the NRA). Some think he talks too much and is prone to foot in mouth disease, but after eight years of Bush’s garbled and moronic use of our language I doubt Biden should worry too much about it (of course the MSM will use a double standard on the speech of a Democrat). I think from Obama’s point of view Biden is a fine choice. One could argue that the choice of Biden is an admission of inadequacy on Obama’s part, but on the other hand, Obama should be commended for recognizing his limitations and making a serious decision to do something about them. One thing for certain, Biden will not have to take any crap from McCain about Foreign Policy or the military. His vast experience on Foreign Affairs and on the Judiciary Committee cannot but help an Obama administration. He has already come out swinging at McCain, his friend for some 30 plus years, but with whom he has real disagreements. He seems to fit naturally into the role of VP attack dog, something the Democrats desperately need at this time.
Those nasty Russians. What are they doing looking out for their own national interests in their own sphere of influence. The next thing you know the Iranians will want to do the same. And then others. Don’t they realize that their interests have to coincide with ours – or else? The “or else” doesn’t seem to matter much these days, but that doesn’t seem to tone down the bluster and idle threats. Where are horses when you need them? One might also ask, where are common sense and brains when you need them? Obama/Biden should be a winning combination. But excuse me while I consult my oracle.
I have been reading Hesse, The Journey to the East. Frankly, I don’t think I understand it very well. I think a journey to the east in search of ultimate truth is something a young man might undertake, but the real journey for all of us is a consistent, long, difficult, and inevitable journey to the west. The sun may rise in the east, and to the east may lie hope and new beginnings, but the ultimate truth resides in the west where the sun always sets, closes the day, and has the last word.
LKBIQ:
The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.
H. L. Mencken
Friday, August 22, 2008
High stakes game
Thousand pound woman arrested
for killing two-year-old child
can’t be moved from home
High stakes poker. Obama criticizes McCain for not knowing how many houses he owns. McCain strikes back with the (already disproven) Rezko situation. Obama says I’ll call your Rezko and raise you a Keating Five. McCain folds ‘em (you have to know when to fold ‘em). It turns out that not only does McCain not know how many houses he owns, he doesn’t even know what kind of car he drives. Apparently so caught up with military strategy he just doesn’t pay attention to such mundane details. He is apparently going to pick Romney as his running mate (although it is said he really dislikes him). As Romney is twice as filthy rich as McCain I don’t think this will help him much with the peasants. No doubt when questioned about his choice he will say he was a POW, which nowadays seems to be used to explain everything.
It is still not known who Obama has picked for his running mate although it is not going to be either Kaine or Bayh. Presumably it is not going to be Hillary either (although I still think she might be a good bet). Hillary seems to be ruled out because she wasn’t vetted, but why would she, of all people, even have to be vetted? The smart money seems to be on Biden (but I am still skeptical). Maybe he will name someone who up until now has been kept a secret? Anyway, we’ll know soon enough as he is supposed to send the message (to Garcia?) early tomorrow (Saturday) morning. You have to give Obama and his staff credit for keeping a secret (is it truly because only Obama himself knows?).
Allow me to digress for a moment for something that has puzzled me for some time. Why should anyone pay either their taxes or their credit card bills? If what I see on television is true, if you don’t pay on time, there are companies that will allow you to settle your debts for pennies on the dollar. There are testimonials from people who claim to have saved thousands upon thousands of dollars by enlisting the help of these companies. If this is so, why pay the full amount when you can just wait and save a lot of money? There has to be a catch. Please advise.
Similarly, I see ads for buying furniture for no money down and no interest for two or three years. How can that work? What happens if you keep the stuff for two or three years and then refuse to pay? Do you go to jail? Or does someone settle for you, saving you big bucks? Do they just repossess the used furniture? I am terribly naïve about these matters, partly because I have had the good fortune to never find myself in these situations. I would appreciate someone’s explanations as to how this actually works (there has to be some kind of catch).
Anyway, back to grim reality. If there is still a problem with the Kurds who keep insisting on keeping Kirkuk and all the oil there, as well as their independence, and the Sunnis and Shiites don’t want them to, and if it is true that the Shiites now in control are trying to destroy the Sunnis who were armed by us because they are afraid of them, and if al Sadr has been holding his militia in check to see what al Maliki works out with us, and if no deal has been worked out as yet about troop withdrawal and accountability, how can it be said repeatedly that the surge has worked? It wouldn’t seem to me that it has worked at all, other than reducing violence for a while. Thus it seems to me that if we don’t leave, eventually all hell will break loose, and if we do leave all hell will break loose. So take your pick, would you rather have the Iraqis fighting our troops or would you rather they would fight each other? Good job, Bush/Cheney! There is a solution to this problem along with the Iranian problem, the Pakistani problem, the Palestinian problem, the Russian problem, the North Korean problem, and all of our other problems. All we would have to do is reinstate a draft, mobilize an army of two or three or more million, equip them with the finest weapons and stuff, and go to war with the world permanently. You have to admit, it would be good for business, might even solve the problem of recession. I
think I’ll recommend this to Calamity John if I can figure out which house he’s in at the moment. I wonder how many houses Mitt Romney has. Sorry, there I go being cynical again. A few people keep telling me things are going to be fine. I don’t believe them.
Obama has picked Joe Biden as his VP. So much for my gut feelings about Hillary. I am used to being wrong. I have mixed feelings about the Biden choice. But things could be a lot worse.
Life is a journey
forever towards the west
and the setting sun
Morialekafa
for killing two-year-old child
can’t be moved from home
High stakes poker. Obama criticizes McCain for not knowing how many houses he owns. McCain strikes back with the (already disproven) Rezko situation. Obama says I’ll call your Rezko and raise you a Keating Five. McCain folds ‘em (you have to know when to fold ‘em). It turns out that not only does McCain not know how many houses he owns, he doesn’t even know what kind of car he drives. Apparently so caught up with military strategy he just doesn’t pay attention to such mundane details. He is apparently going to pick Romney as his running mate (although it is said he really dislikes him). As Romney is twice as filthy rich as McCain I don’t think this will help him much with the peasants. No doubt when questioned about his choice he will say he was a POW, which nowadays seems to be used to explain everything.
It is still not known who Obama has picked for his running mate although it is not going to be either Kaine or Bayh. Presumably it is not going to be Hillary either (although I still think she might be a good bet). Hillary seems to be ruled out because she wasn’t vetted, but why would she, of all people, even have to be vetted? The smart money seems to be on Biden (but I am still skeptical). Maybe he will name someone who up until now has been kept a secret? Anyway, we’ll know soon enough as he is supposed to send the message (to Garcia?) early tomorrow (Saturday) morning. You have to give Obama and his staff credit for keeping a secret (is it truly because only Obama himself knows?).
Allow me to digress for a moment for something that has puzzled me for some time. Why should anyone pay either their taxes or their credit card bills? If what I see on television is true, if you don’t pay on time, there are companies that will allow you to settle your debts for pennies on the dollar. There are testimonials from people who claim to have saved thousands upon thousands of dollars by enlisting the help of these companies. If this is so, why pay the full amount when you can just wait and save a lot of money? There has to be a catch. Please advise.
Similarly, I see ads for buying furniture for no money down and no interest for two or three years. How can that work? What happens if you keep the stuff for two or three years and then refuse to pay? Do you go to jail? Or does someone settle for you, saving you big bucks? Do they just repossess the used furniture? I am terribly naïve about these matters, partly because I have had the good fortune to never find myself in these situations. I would appreciate someone’s explanations as to how this actually works (there has to be some kind of catch).
Anyway, back to grim reality. If there is still a problem with the Kurds who keep insisting on keeping Kirkuk and all the oil there, as well as their independence, and the Sunnis and Shiites don’t want them to, and if it is true that the Shiites now in control are trying to destroy the Sunnis who were armed by us because they are afraid of them, and if al Sadr has been holding his militia in check to see what al Maliki works out with us, and if no deal has been worked out as yet about troop withdrawal and accountability, how can it be said repeatedly that the surge has worked? It wouldn’t seem to me that it has worked at all, other than reducing violence for a while. Thus it seems to me that if we don’t leave, eventually all hell will break loose, and if we do leave all hell will break loose. So take your pick, would you rather have the Iraqis fighting our troops or would you rather they would fight each other? Good job, Bush/Cheney! There is a solution to this problem along with the Iranian problem, the Pakistani problem, the Palestinian problem, the Russian problem, the North Korean problem, and all of our other problems. All we would have to do is reinstate a draft, mobilize an army of two or three or more million, equip them with the finest weapons and stuff, and go to war with the world permanently. You have to admit, it would be good for business, might even solve the problem of recession. I
think I’ll recommend this to Calamity John if I can figure out which house he’s in at the moment. I wonder how many houses Mitt Romney has. Sorry, there I go being cynical again. A few people keep telling me things are going to be fine. I don’t believe them.
Obama has picked Joe Biden as his VP. So much for my gut feelings about Hillary. I am used to being wrong. I have mixed feelings about the Biden choice. But things could be a lot worse.
Life is a journey
forever towards the west
and the setting sun
Morialekafa
Thursday, August 21, 2008
So, how many is it?
So, how many houses (or homes) do John McCain and his wife, Cindy, own? I have seen estimates of 0 (they are all owned by a corporation) to 4, to 7, to ten (or more). One could quibble, of course, over whether condos count as houses, or whether there are more than one house on the same lot, and etc., but what the hell difference does it make? The only thing that counts is that McCain has no idea how many houses or homes they have. This confession is enough, by itself, to prove that McCain is completely out of touch with us ordinary folk. And it’s no wonder he thinks the economy is sound. I wonder if he is truly aware of which place he is in at any given time. I wonder even more why it is that he never appears without Cindy, ever, as far as I know? She is like a ghostly apparition always standing by his side after delivering a little wifely kiss on the cheek. The McCain campaign panicked and immediately responded with an ad bringing up the old Rezko issue (Obama has never been shown to have been involved with any wrongdoing with him, as was made clear when Hillary Clinton tried to use this against him). The beauty of this latest Calamity John gaffe lies in the many ways it might be explained, none of which would make him look very good: (1) they are all owned by some corporation so he would not necessarily know, (2) they actually all belong to Cindy, which, again he may not know, (3) his memory is failing, (4) he is easily confused, (5) he doesn’t pay attention. With his $500 shoes, private jet, and family fortune, he is not likely to convince anyone he’s just a regular guy instead of an elitist like Obama (alas, with only one house).
What is General Petraeus doing endorsing a religious book written by a Chaplain that is against army regulations, a book that suggests atheists might screw up things during combat? His response is little more than laughable: he thought his comment was not for publication. And why, when McCain and others constantly cite Petraeus as the authority on Iraq and the Middle East, and what we ought to do in Iraq, do they think we will have forgotten that Petraeus is nothing but a Bush/Cheney toady, picked for the job after they had eliminated other high-ranking officers who disagreed with their policies?
Some Progressives are souring on Obama as they say he is moving too far towards the center or even the right. They cite his vote on FISA, his support for more military, his support for the “war” in Afghanistan, and such. I would be one of those critics, but I am allowing myself to believe he is doing this to insure his Presidency and when in office will continue his more liberal agenda. I hope I am right about this. Of course I will never support an increase in the military or sending more troops to Afghanistan which I am absolutely certain is a lost cause that will turn out to be another Vietnam. In any case, we have no other choice but Obama, as trigger-happy McCain would surely insure our destruction if he became President. After his housing gaffe, coupled with his agreeing to reinstate the draft, is anyone going to take him seriously? Why is it that so many Americans fail to see through this absolute charlatan?
Obama has made his choice but he is not telling (as yet). In fact, no one really seems to know what the choice is, which says something for the discipline of Obama and his campaign. Most everyone thinks it will be Joe Biden. If it is supposed to be a surprise I would think it would not be Biden as he has been the obvious choice of the pundits for some time. My gut still tells me it will be Hillary (but I am wrong more often than not when it comes to American politics. I have never been able to make my peace with the obvious fact that most American voters are ignorant and uninformed). I must say I am amazed at how easily we forget. A few weeks ago I was so down on Hillary I swore I would never even consider voting for her under any circumstances. Now I think she might not be so bad as VP (compared with the other possibilities). I am weak, weak as water, as Molly Sugden used to compain on Are You Being Served. After all that has happened she would certainly be a surprise (and she does meet the description Obama gave of his pick). Anyway, we’ll know soon enough. My feelings at the moment, anyone but Bayh.
LKBIQ:
The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope.
Karl Marx
What is General Petraeus doing endorsing a religious book written by a Chaplain that is against army regulations, a book that suggests atheists might screw up things during combat? His response is little more than laughable: he thought his comment was not for publication. And why, when McCain and others constantly cite Petraeus as the authority on Iraq and the Middle East, and what we ought to do in Iraq, do they think we will have forgotten that Petraeus is nothing but a Bush/Cheney toady, picked for the job after they had eliminated other high-ranking officers who disagreed with their policies?
Some Progressives are souring on Obama as they say he is moving too far towards the center or even the right. They cite his vote on FISA, his support for more military, his support for the “war” in Afghanistan, and such. I would be one of those critics, but I am allowing myself to believe he is doing this to insure his Presidency and when in office will continue his more liberal agenda. I hope I am right about this. Of course I will never support an increase in the military or sending more troops to Afghanistan which I am absolutely certain is a lost cause that will turn out to be another Vietnam. In any case, we have no other choice but Obama, as trigger-happy McCain would surely insure our destruction if he became President. After his housing gaffe, coupled with his agreeing to reinstate the draft, is anyone going to take him seriously? Why is it that so many Americans fail to see through this absolute charlatan?
Obama has made his choice but he is not telling (as yet). In fact, no one really seems to know what the choice is, which says something for the discipline of Obama and his campaign. Most everyone thinks it will be Joe Biden. If it is supposed to be a surprise I would think it would not be Biden as he has been the obvious choice of the pundits for some time. My gut still tells me it will be Hillary (but I am wrong more often than not when it comes to American politics. I have never been able to make my peace with the obvious fact that most American voters are ignorant and uninformed). I must say I am amazed at how easily we forget. A few weeks ago I was so down on Hillary I swore I would never even consider voting for her under any circumstances. Now I think she might not be so bad as VP (compared with the other possibilities). I am weak, weak as water, as Molly Sugden used to compain on Are You Being Served. After all that has happened she would certainly be a surprise (and she does meet the description Obama gave of his pick). Anyway, we’ll know soon enough. My feelings at the moment, anyone but Bayh.
LKBIQ:
The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope.
Karl Marx
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
No to a Black man?
I have heard that some 17% of voters say our country is not ready for a Black President (and presumably wouldn’t vote for one). If 17% admit to this you can be certain the actual percentage of voters who feel this way is somewhat greater. So, if you don’t want to vote for a Black man, let me offer you a white guy you can vote for (if you are truly that stupid). Here is a 72 year old white guy who is so white he is almost transparent. He is filthy rich, having ditched his first wife in favor of an heiress (with whom he was committing adultery prior to his divorce). He wears $520 dollar shoes, owns 10 houses and/or condominiums, travels by private jet, and accuses his Black opponent of being an “elitist.” He himself is the son and grandson of two full-fledged Admirals who managed to get him into the Naval Academy where he graduated fifth from the bottom of his class of some 895. A war hero, having survived five years in a Vitenamese prison, he eventually became a politician (with the help of his in-laws money). He is known to be very bad tempered and vindictive and has made flip-flopping on issues into a daily routine. He has accused his Black opponent of wanting to be President so badly he is willing to accept defeat in Iraq, an unprecedented accusation of treason against a Presidential opponent. He himself, however, in his quest for the Presidency, has reversed his positions on just about everything. Although he was treated very badly by George W. Bush and Karl Rove, including accusations that he had fathered an illegitimate black baby, he has subsequently embraced them (literally). Having once spurned and insulted Evangelicals he has now sought them out for their support. Having been opposed to Bush’s tax cuts he now supports them. Having been opposed to offshore oil drilling he now supports it. Claiming in an ad that he will “take on” the oil companies he just received two million dollars from those same companies after he changed his position on drilling. His solution to all problems seems to be militaristic. His history of this, as well as his current positions, are so warlike he was described just today by one reporter to be “The Most Dangerous Man on Earth.” He helped to validate this by recently agreeing that we should turn to a draft if we are to continue our military adventures. He is in favor of going to war with Iran and he also targets Russia at every opportunity. He is, in short, extremely belligerent and would apparently have us engaged in permanent war with just about anyone who doesn’t agree with us. He has said in the past that the only reason he ran for President is because he wanted to be President and yet he criticizes his Black opponent for wanting to be President. He has run a campaign so negative even some of his own supporters have balked. Seemingly nothing is below him or too disgusting when it comes to scurrilous accusations. He is, in short, both a liar and a hypocrite. He admittedly cannot win by concentrating on any of the real issues that confront our nation, so his strategy is simply to destroy his Black opponent. He wishes to continue the obviously failed policies of the Bush/Cheney administration, is mindlessly anti-abortion, a sexist, and is using race as a campaign tactic while denying that he is doing so. He is also questioning his opponent’s patriotism while at the same time denying that he is doing so. Once an honored war hero, and once praised as a straight talker, he has now proven himself to be nothing but a scumbag. So, if you don’t want to vote for a Black man who is morally and ethically far superior to him in every way, vote for him. I’m sure you will enjoy another four years of the Bush/Cheney/Rove programs.
LKBIQ:
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
John F. Kennedy
LKBIQ:
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
John F. Kennedy
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
How nonsensical
A consensus seems to be building that Obama’s pick for VP will be Joe Biden. They seem to think that the Russian/Georgian “crisis” means it will be terribly important for Obama to pick someone experienced in Foreign Affairs. I cannot dispute that this is what most of the pundits seem to believe, but personally I think it is nonsensical. Obama is said to have over 400 advisors (already). Is Joe Biden to be put in charge single-handedly to handle Foreign Affairs? Is it the case that if Joe Biden, good Democrat that he is, would not advise Obama on Foreign Policy unless he was VP? Does this make any sense? I don’t think so. It may be the case that Obama will pick Biden, and it may also be the case that it will be explained that he did so because of his own inexperience with Foreign Policy, but I think this is all nonsense. But whoever said recently that American politics was anything but nonsensical?
I don’t know who Obama is going to pick. But my mind tells me that I am losing it because my gut keeps insisting he is going to pick Hillary Clinton. Whey do I think this? Frankly, I don’t know, but my gut is very insistent. He and Hillary seem to be thick as thieves lately. She would be a great pick for the Democratic party, given the number of women that threaten to vote for McCain (no one ever said women were smarter than men when it comes to full-blown irrationality). She could be put in charge of universal health care where she has had considerable experience. She is fully qualified and could easily step into the Presidency should that unpleasant occasion arise. If Obama picks her, and she agrees to be on the ticket, it would remove the problem of her previous doubts about Obama and take away from the Brafia their attempt to use her comments against Obama. I am not suggesting that I want this to happen, merely that my gut keeps telling me that it might well happen. It would certainly be an exciting surprise and would galvanize the Democrats like nothing else. Indeed, it would earth-shaking to have a black candidate and a woman on the same ticket. As near as I can tell there are only two or three real negatives to this scenario. Bill Clinton is one, but as Hillary and Obama have been so chummy lately they may have already solved this problem somehow. Another obvious negative is the fact that every redneck Hillary-hater in the country would come out of the mountains to vote against her. It would probably do nothing to change the minds of those 17 or more percent of voters who say they would not vote for a black man. These voters are probably not too likely to vote for Obama anyway and would certainly not change their minds because Hillary was on the ticket. Anyway, it’s Obama’s pick. I don’t think he needs Biden, I think Evan Bayh is little more than an empty suit, and I don’t know much about Kain. Hillary is a more logical choice than any of them, so my gut tells me while my mind repeats, no, no, no. I just can’t wait to have this inner turmoil solved.
I do not know that Barack Obama will be a fine President or not. I do know that John McCain would be terrible beyond belief, unless you are all for permanent war, more subsidies for the oil companies, back-alley abortions, and more money for the already filthy rich.
Just when you think you might have heard the last of him that pompous pontificating pretend professor, Newt Gingrich, surfaces with another ridiculous statement. This time it’s his claim that inflating your tires only makes money for the oil companies. The smaller the brain, the bigger the mouth, or so it seems.
LKBIQ:
The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.
H. L. Mencken
I don’t know who Obama is going to pick. But my mind tells me that I am losing it because my gut keeps insisting he is going to pick Hillary Clinton. Whey do I think this? Frankly, I don’t know, but my gut is very insistent. He and Hillary seem to be thick as thieves lately. She would be a great pick for the Democratic party, given the number of women that threaten to vote for McCain (no one ever said women were smarter than men when it comes to full-blown irrationality). She could be put in charge of universal health care where she has had considerable experience. She is fully qualified and could easily step into the Presidency should that unpleasant occasion arise. If Obama picks her, and she agrees to be on the ticket, it would remove the problem of her previous doubts about Obama and take away from the Brafia their attempt to use her comments against Obama. I am not suggesting that I want this to happen, merely that my gut keeps telling me that it might well happen. It would certainly be an exciting surprise and would galvanize the Democrats like nothing else. Indeed, it would earth-shaking to have a black candidate and a woman on the same ticket. As near as I can tell there are only two or three real negatives to this scenario. Bill Clinton is one, but as Hillary and Obama have been so chummy lately they may have already solved this problem somehow. Another obvious negative is the fact that every redneck Hillary-hater in the country would come out of the mountains to vote against her. It would probably do nothing to change the minds of those 17 or more percent of voters who say they would not vote for a black man. These voters are probably not too likely to vote for Obama anyway and would certainly not change their minds because Hillary was on the ticket. Anyway, it’s Obama’s pick. I don’t think he needs Biden, I think Evan Bayh is little more than an empty suit, and I don’t know much about Kain. Hillary is a more logical choice than any of them, so my gut tells me while my mind repeats, no, no, no. I just can’t wait to have this inner turmoil solved.
I do not know that Barack Obama will be a fine President or not. I do know that John McCain would be terrible beyond belief, unless you are all for permanent war, more subsidies for the oil companies, back-alley abortions, and more money for the already filthy rich.
Just when you think you might have heard the last of him that pompous pontificating pretend professor, Newt Gingrich, surfaces with another ridiculous statement. This time it’s his claim that inflating your tires only makes money for the oil companies. The smaller the brain, the bigger the mouth, or so it seems.
LKBIQ:
The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.
H. L. Mencken
Monday, August 18, 2008
It just gets more absurd
It just gets more and more absurd. I used to think the Brafia and their hangers-on just thought we (voters) were stupid. Now I believe they think we must be absolutely unconscious. I don’t know how else one might explain the McCain campaign. George W. Bush has the lowest favorability rating of any President in history. It is widely conceded that he is the worst President in history and that his policies have been disastrous for our nation. McCain is running on those very same policies. Some roughly 80% of voters think we are on the wrong track and are demanding change. McCain is running on the same old failed policies. A majority of American women are for choice, McCain boasts of being anti-choice and threatens to do away with Roe vs Wade. The vast majority of Americans want us out of Iraq as soon as possible. McCain wants us to stay there in perpetuity. It seems that McCain doesn’t really have any agenda other than just continuing the status quo. He mocks Obama on withdrawing from Iraq in 16 months, then allows as to how that might be okay. He makes fun of Obama for wanting to add troops in Afghanistan, and then wants to do so himself, adding even more troops. He claims Obama does not support the troops although his own record of support is little more than dismal. He tries to paint Obama (raised by a single mother and going to college on loans) as an elitist while he and his wife sit on a huge fortune and he is the offspring of Admirals and wears 520 dollar shoes and owns 10 houses. He plays the so-called race card and then accuses Obama of doing it. He also insists Obama is not ready to lead while he, himself, doesn’t seem to know one faction or nation from another. Knowing he cannot win on any of the issues, he is attempting to drag Obama into the mud with negative campaigning (and accusing Obama of negative campaigning). And he repeatedly accuses Obama of treason, of wanting to lose the “war” in Iraq in order to become President (as far as I know this kind of slander is unprecedented in American politics up until now). He outdid himself today with the absurd when he said that behind Obama’s claims and positions (or whatever) was Obama’s wanting to be President (as if he, himself, is not running for President). In short, whatever McCain says that is just not downright absurd, is either a lie or a fabrication of some sort. To make things even more laughable, today I heard one of his defenders actually say that, yes, Obama was thoughtful, but McCain was decisive and what we need is decisive leaders (who presumably don’t think). This pretty much sums up the Brafia position: don’t think, just mouth the party line at all times. McCain doesn’t have to think, it’s all spelled out for him: human life begins at conception, abortion is wrong, taxing is bad (under all circumstances), war is good (for business), oil companies making unprecedented profits need more tax breaks and incentives, people should look out for their own health care, and being rich is apparently just a state of mind. Adultery is bad (except when he does it), and the answer to all problems lies in the military. Just one totally mindless, thoughtless absurd position after another. I suggest you don’t even try to make sense of this, just remain unconscious as they apparently perceive us to be. I have not mentioned the even more absurd claims that are being circulated about Obama: he’s a Muslim, he took the oath of office on the Koran, he’s not really an American (or at least somehow doesn’t share American values), he and his wife hate white people, he’s the anti-Christ, and one I saw the other day that claimed he fought for the Vietnamese when he was six years old in his pajamas (this one may have been in jest, I’m not certain. How can you tell these days). Throughout all this the MSM refuses to call McCain on any of his lies or ridiculous gaffes. It is really quite unbelievable. Obama raised something like 51 million dollars last month and has now about two million contributors to his campaign. The MSM wants us to believe that McCain is running virtually even with him in the polls. I believe this to be totally artificial and being kept there because if the truth were known it would become impossible for the Brafia to steal another election. If American voters are not mostly all unconscious Obama should win in a landslide.
The great animal revolution continues. I have previously mentioned that raccoons are taking over Germany and beavers are taking over much of South America. I have also mentioned that elephants and monkeys are becoming increasingly aggressive towards humans, as have mountain lions, tigers, and even worms that are expanding their territories. Wolves, too, have been acting up as have coyotes. Now we have reports from Florida that wild boars are causing trouble. In West Virginia wild chickens have been taking over. The bears in Anchorage have become a genuine problem and in California egrets have taken over a town just north of Sacramento. Bison are proving to be a problem on Illinois highways and elk are now becoming a problem on the Olympic Peninsula. How do you account for this growing world-wide animal behavior? I know you probably think it is just the natural result of humans taking over more territory and usurping the food supplies of these various creatures. No doubt that is part of it. But why so many different species? And why almost all simultaneously? Now, you know I am not much of a conspiracy buff, but this whole business seems very suspicious to me. What if, just what if, there is something behind this ubiquitous uprising? What if Intelligent Design created this situation as an experiment in behavior, creating humans with a fatal flaw to see how long it would be before they destroyed themselves and others? Our response to all of these animal “problems” is to kill them, along with all the plants and insects we for one reason or another think we don’t like? How do we know these creatures do not hold the secrets we need for better health and longer life, if not peaceful co-exitence? We don’t know, we just kill indiscriminately. And what if there really is such a thing as reincarnation? That beetle you just stepped on might well have been your mother-in-law, come back to visit you here on earth. Far-fetched? Of course. But probably no more so that some of the rumors circulating about Obama, or the assassination of Lincoln, or the existence of bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster, or the claim that George W. Bush is a “compassionate conservative,” or that Dick the Slimy wasn’t responsible for torture, or that Rumsfeld had a brain, or there were WMD’s in Iraq, or there are black helicopters massed on our northern border, waiting to come and steal our lawn chairs, and… and…
LKBIQ:
Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
David T. Wolf
The great animal revolution continues. I have previously mentioned that raccoons are taking over Germany and beavers are taking over much of South America. I have also mentioned that elephants and monkeys are becoming increasingly aggressive towards humans, as have mountain lions, tigers, and even worms that are expanding their territories. Wolves, too, have been acting up as have coyotes. Now we have reports from Florida that wild boars are causing trouble. In West Virginia wild chickens have been taking over. The bears in Anchorage have become a genuine problem and in California egrets have taken over a town just north of Sacramento. Bison are proving to be a problem on Illinois highways and elk are now becoming a problem on the Olympic Peninsula. How do you account for this growing world-wide animal behavior? I know you probably think it is just the natural result of humans taking over more territory and usurping the food supplies of these various creatures. No doubt that is part of it. But why so many different species? And why almost all simultaneously? Now, you know I am not much of a conspiracy buff, but this whole business seems very suspicious to me. What if, just what if, there is something behind this ubiquitous uprising? What if Intelligent Design created this situation as an experiment in behavior, creating humans with a fatal flaw to see how long it would be before they destroyed themselves and others? Our response to all of these animal “problems” is to kill them, along with all the plants and insects we for one reason or another think we don’t like? How do we know these creatures do not hold the secrets we need for better health and longer life, if not peaceful co-exitence? We don’t know, we just kill indiscriminately. And what if there really is such a thing as reincarnation? That beetle you just stepped on might well have been your mother-in-law, come back to visit you here on earth. Far-fetched? Of course. But probably no more so that some of the rumors circulating about Obama, or the assassination of Lincoln, or the existence of bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster, or the claim that George W. Bush is a “compassionate conservative,” or that Dick the Slimy wasn’t responsible for torture, or that Rumsfeld had a brain, or there were WMD’s in Iraq, or there are black helicopters massed on our northern border, waiting to come and steal our lawn chairs, and… and…
LKBIQ:
Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
David T. Wolf
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Faith and politics
German man’s bacon, lettuce,
and tomato sandwich sets off
bomb alarm at airport.
I watched the Presidential Forum in Orange County in front of an audience of Evangelicals. They kept advertising that Obama and McCain would appear on the same stage for the first time. They did, for about 30 seconds, just long enough to shake hands. Pastor whats-his-name started the proceedings by announcing that he (they) believed in the separation of church and state, but not in the separation of faith and politics (whatever you can make out of that). Obama was interviewed for an hour, followed by a similar interview with McCain. They were both asked the same questions (more or less). It was a fascinating contrast. Both of them were said to have done well, but most who commented seemed to believe that McCain did weller (gooder, you know, better). Given the audience perhaps he did. John King started the CNN commentary by reporting on the number of times each of them said God and Jesus, I guess a most revealing clue as to what it was all about. The two candidates could not have been more different. Obama approached the general questions seriously and tried to give thoughtful answers to what were complicated subjects. This was described by some of the MSM as an academic or intellectual discussion, such as college sophomores might have had (so much for thoughtful answers). Obama was thoughtful, humble, and serious and tried to give serious answers. He was not campaigning. Not so McCain, who was allowed to turn his session into little more than another campaign appearance. There seemed to be no thought behind his answers which appeared to come right out of the Brafia list of acceptable answers. When asked which of the current Supreme Court Justices he might have voted against, Obama answered Clarence Thomas, and explained that he didn’t think Thomas had the legal mind or background to be on the Court. McCain, ever pandering, blurted out all four of the Justices that might be considered in any way liberal. And he made it clear what kind of Justices he would appoint (guess). McCain must have just volunteered this as I don’t recall that Obama was asked such a question. When Obama was asked about his pro-choice stand on abortion he explained thoughtfully that while he wasn’t in favor of abortions he knew that women approached this difficult choice very seriously and in consultation with their husbands, pastors, and etc. Not so McCain, who replied by citing his 25 year pro-life position. When asked when life began he said “at conception” (he didn’t even have to consult the play book). When asked about the existence of evil, and what one might do about it, Obama said we had to confront it, and pointed out that sometimes when we thought we were doing good we might in fact be doing evil. There would be no confrontation of this difficult question for McCain who said immediately what we should attack it (apparently he knows it when he sees it). When asked about who might be considered rich, Obama again replied thoughtfully and said probably people who made more than $250,000 a year (putting them in the top 4 or 5 percent of the population). He indicated he would tax the wealthy and give tax breaks to those below that level. McCain gave an answer so frivolous (and so directed to his sympathetic audience) as to make you wonder if he had any mind at all. His idea is simply that everyone should just make more money so we would all be rich, and implied that no one should be taxed at all. Interestingly, neither candidate was asked about the national debt or the war expenses, etc. Much to everyone’s apparent surprise, McCain seemed to be in his element. He was relaxed and had an anecdote for virtually every situation. Obama was not asked about the Russian/Georgian situation but McCain was allowed to bring it up. Predictably he gave a comment that was at best the grossest of oversimplifications and at worst an all out lie when he attributed the problem to Russian aggression (it was Georgian aggression prompted by the U.S. that actually started the unpleasant business). Of course no one questioned this (as usual). Although both candidates might be said to have done well (depending upon your point of view, I rather doubt that either one of them gained much of an advantage – if, that is, you do not lose sight of the fact that it was an Evangelical audience. It is hard to say just how most independents might think about it. To me, it was pretty clear-cut. McCain just recited the party line at every turn, had absolutely no doubt about the rightness of his positions, and gave a pretty good imitation of his idol, Theodore Roosevelt (although McCain version of “speak softly and carry a big stick” seems to omit the speak softly part). It was, to me, another example of the anti-intellectualism that is slowly destroying American culture. If you attempt to give an honest, thoughtful answer, you are immediately considered weak or sophomoric. If, on the other hand, you speak loudly and with apparent authority, you don’t have to worry about thoughtfulness. Just be dogmatic and cocksure enough and there is no trouble too awful not to stumble into. Just witness the witless jerks that have brought us to where we are at the moment. The very idea that Presidential candidates should have to pander to a bunch of members of the various Churches of the Altogether Bonkers strikes me as absurd, people who don’t believe in evolution, or even in science are supposed to determine who should be President of the United States in the 21st century? Is it any wonder we are increasingly on our way to the back of the bus?
LKBIQ:
Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.
H. L. Mencken
and tomato sandwich sets off
bomb alarm at airport.
I watched the Presidential Forum in Orange County in front of an audience of Evangelicals. They kept advertising that Obama and McCain would appear on the same stage for the first time. They did, for about 30 seconds, just long enough to shake hands. Pastor whats-his-name started the proceedings by announcing that he (they) believed in the separation of church and state, but not in the separation of faith and politics (whatever you can make out of that). Obama was interviewed for an hour, followed by a similar interview with McCain. They were both asked the same questions (more or less). It was a fascinating contrast. Both of them were said to have done well, but most who commented seemed to believe that McCain did weller (gooder, you know, better). Given the audience perhaps he did. John King started the CNN commentary by reporting on the number of times each of them said God and Jesus, I guess a most revealing clue as to what it was all about. The two candidates could not have been more different. Obama approached the general questions seriously and tried to give thoughtful answers to what were complicated subjects. This was described by some of the MSM as an academic or intellectual discussion, such as college sophomores might have had (so much for thoughtful answers). Obama was thoughtful, humble, and serious and tried to give serious answers. He was not campaigning. Not so McCain, who was allowed to turn his session into little more than another campaign appearance. There seemed to be no thought behind his answers which appeared to come right out of the Brafia list of acceptable answers. When asked which of the current Supreme Court Justices he might have voted against, Obama answered Clarence Thomas, and explained that he didn’t think Thomas had the legal mind or background to be on the Court. McCain, ever pandering, blurted out all four of the Justices that might be considered in any way liberal. And he made it clear what kind of Justices he would appoint (guess). McCain must have just volunteered this as I don’t recall that Obama was asked such a question. When Obama was asked about his pro-choice stand on abortion he explained thoughtfully that while he wasn’t in favor of abortions he knew that women approached this difficult choice very seriously and in consultation with their husbands, pastors, and etc. Not so McCain, who replied by citing his 25 year pro-life position. When asked when life began he said “at conception” (he didn’t even have to consult the play book). When asked about the existence of evil, and what one might do about it, Obama said we had to confront it, and pointed out that sometimes when we thought we were doing good we might in fact be doing evil. There would be no confrontation of this difficult question for McCain who said immediately what we should attack it (apparently he knows it when he sees it). When asked about who might be considered rich, Obama again replied thoughtfully and said probably people who made more than $250,000 a year (putting them in the top 4 or 5 percent of the population). He indicated he would tax the wealthy and give tax breaks to those below that level. McCain gave an answer so frivolous (and so directed to his sympathetic audience) as to make you wonder if he had any mind at all. His idea is simply that everyone should just make more money so we would all be rich, and implied that no one should be taxed at all. Interestingly, neither candidate was asked about the national debt or the war expenses, etc. Much to everyone’s apparent surprise, McCain seemed to be in his element. He was relaxed and had an anecdote for virtually every situation. Obama was not asked about the Russian/Georgian situation but McCain was allowed to bring it up. Predictably he gave a comment that was at best the grossest of oversimplifications and at worst an all out lie when he attributed the problem to Russian aggression (it was Georgian aggression prompted by the U.S. that actually started the unpleasant business). Of course no one questioned this (as usual). Although both candidates might be said to have done well (depending upon your point of view, I rather doubt that either one of them gained much of an advantage – if, that is, you do not lose sight of the fact that it was an Evangelical audience. It is hard to say just how most independents might think about it. To me, it was pretty clear-cut. McCain just recited the party line at every turn, had absolutely no doubt about the rightness of his positions, and gave a pretty good imitation of his idol, Theodore Roosevelt (although McCain version of “speak softly and carry a big stick” seems to omit the speak softly part). It was, to me, another example of the anti-intellectualism that is slowly destroying American culture. If you attempt to give an honest, thoughtful answer, you are immediately considered weak or sophomoric. If, on the other hand, you speak loudly and with apparent authority, you don’t have to worry about thoughtfulness. Just be dogmatic and cocksure enough and there is no trouble too awful not to stumble into. Just witness the witless jerks that have brought us to where we are at the moment. The very idea that Presidential candidates should have to pander to a bunch of members of the various Churches of the Altogether Bonkers strikes me as absurd, people who don’t believe in evolution, or even in science are supposed to determine who should be President of the United States in the 21st century? Is it any wonder we are increasingly on our way to the back of the bus?
LKBIQ:
Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.
H. L. Mencken
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Decency and indecency
We are, I believe, perilously close to losing whatever distinctions we might have once made between decency and indecency. This new book about Obama by Jerome Corsi offers an excellent chance to ponder this distinction. As we already know who Corsi is, and we already know what he has written and said before about Democrats, and as he has admitted he doesn’t want Obama to be President, one does not have to be very bright to know what a hatchet job his book is going to be. No, I have not read the book. I have no intention of ever reading it. I feel no need whatsoever to read it as I already know that it will be complete and utter trash. And so it is, according to all the comments about it I have seen so far. I believe it is an indecent book. I don’t believe a decent person would have written such a book. I don’t believe a decent editor would have accepted such a book. And I don’t believe a decent publisher would have published such a book. Apparently the lure of profits far outweighs any sense of decency. I don’t condemn the book because it is anti-Obama. It could be a decent book that just points out facts about Obama that people might or might no know about. Real facts, that is. But this book was written with no regard to facts whatsoever, and with the sole purpose of trying to destroy the reputation of a person running for public office. For example, Corsi apparently claims that Obama is a drug addict. There is absolutely no basis in fact for such an outrageous claim. It is true that Obama admitted to experimenting with marijuana and cocaine as a youth, but so did hundreds of thousands of other young people, and he does not use such drugs presently (and there is no evidence that he does). This is a purely indecent claim about a decent person. The Obama people have already prepared a 40 page rebuttal, pointing out the factual errors and scurrilous claims and whatever. But some damage will probably result from this piece of trash anyway. Most everyone now agrees that negative ads work (and the implication is that everyone should use them). This is a clear cut case of ends justifying means and is in and of itself somewhat indecent.
So-called attack-ads can be either decent or indecent, depending upon their content. This Corsi book is the equivalent of an attack ad and it personifies an indecent approach. But when an ad is negative because it points out an obvious contradiction or a claim that is so transparently wrong it can’t be allowed to pass, it might be negative but it would not be indecent. For example, When Bush says to a reporter in China there are no problems in America, and others point out how absurd such a claim is, there is nothing indecent about the juxtaposition of the two points of view. Similarly, when McCain is on record of denying there is a recession, when most people believe there surely is, it is not indecent to point that out. Contradictory points of view are not indecent. But when blatant lies and fabrications are involved it is another matter entirely. When McCain was accused by Rove and his hatchet men of having fathered an illegitimate black baby, that was indecent. When the swiftboaters spread lies about Kerry’s war record, that was indecent. When it is demonstrated through their own words that Bush/Cheney and others lied to lead us into an unnecessary “war,” that is not indecent. When a claim can be shown to be factually correct it cannot be indecent. When obviously fabricated claims are made in the absence of any factual information those claims are indecent. The problem is, in this era of attack ads and negative ads, it is not always completely clear whether something is indecent or not. And unfortunately, there seem to be thousands of Americans who don’t even care about the difference. Thus indecent people like Corsi, Coulter, Limbaugh, and others of that ilk manage to find an audience for their filth. Right-wing groups order their books by the dozens, even hundreds, to give the illusion they are best sellers (and have a much wider audience than they actually do have). There is an interesting question here: how different are such indecent books from yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre? Not much, I’d say, but then I also believe in free speech. But decent people don’t abuse free speech.
LKBIQ:
The history of our race, and each individual's experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.
Mark Twain
So-called attack-ads can be either decent or indecent, depending upon their content. This Corsi book is the equivalent of an attack ad and it personifies an indecent approach. But when an ad is negative because it points out an obvious contradiction or a claim that is so transparently wrong it can’t be allowed to pass, it might be negative but it would not be indecent. For example, When Bush says to a reporter in China there are no problems in America, and others point out how absurd such a claim is, there is nothing indecent about the juxtaposition of the two points of view. Similarly, when McCain is on record of denying there is a recession, when most people believe there surely is, it is not indecent to point that out. Contradictory points of view are not indecent. But when blatant lies and fabrications are involved it is another matter entirely. When McCain was accused by Rove and his hatchet men of having fathered an illegitimate black baby, that was indecent. When the swiftboaters spread lies about Kerry’s war record, that was indecent. When it is demonstrated through their own words that Bush/Cheney and others lied to lead us into an unnecessary “war,” that is not indecent. When a claim can be shown to be factually correct it cannot be indecent. When obviously fabricated claims are made in the absence of any factual information those claims are indecent. The problem is, in this era of attack ads and negative ads, it is not always completely clear whether something is indecent or not. And unfortunately, there seem to be thousands of Americans who don’t even care about the difference. Thus indecent people like Corsi, Coulter, Limbaugh, and others of that ilk manage to find an audience for their filth. Right-wing groups order their books by the dozens, even hundreds, to give the illusion they are best sellers (and have a much wider audience than they actually do have). There is an interesting question here: how different are such indecent books from yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre? Not much, I’d say, but then I also believe in free speech. But decent people don’t abuse free speech.
LKBIQ:
The history of our race, and each individual's experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.
Mark Twain
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
McCain for President?
Skamokawa, population 500,
loses two tavern owners
within 24 hour period.
George W. Bush demands Russia withdraw from Georgia. Please try to restrain your hysterical laughter.
The swiftboaters are coming out now against Obama. I guess their book is already out. One can only imagine the wealth of lies, exaggerations, distortions, and innuendoes it must contain. They are not at all coy about their intentions, the author (whose name I cannot remember for the moment) has said he does not want Obama to be President. I guess you can easily figure out what audience is going to be drawn to such a book. This will be roviation carried to its apex. Pathetic. I’m all for free speech but in cases like this I do wonder if it should be permitted. That is, when everyone knows it is going to be nothing but a pack of lies, why bother? Far right groups will be ordering this piece of filth to make it appear to be a best seller, just as they do with Ann Coulter’s asininities.
McCain has not disavowed this attempt, even though in the past he has admitted that Obama is patriotic and a fine candidate. This just proves, once again, that he will do anything, no matter how sleazy, to become President.
The McCain campaign has made no secret of their strategy. Knowing they have no chance of winning on any of the important issues, they are making it clear they are out to discredit Obama (and are actively involved in trying to do just that, as above). I recommend that people think very carefully about this, and about the implications of it. Think of what we will have left if they destroy Obama, and ask yourself if that is really what you want for a President. John McCain is not an attractive candidate for President for many, many reasons. He is a serious flip-flopper which can be easily seen in the many ways he has changed his mind over time, not the least of which is now embracing supporters that not long ago he viciously spurned (Evangelicals, for example). He surrounded himself with advisors that were important and active lobbyists even while professing he was against lobbyists. He currently has an important member of his staff who has been (and perhaps still is) an active lobbyist for the nation of Georgia (a blatant conflict of interest). He was previously involved in the Keating scandal, hardly a recommendation for being President. He is a known adulterer. He graduated towards the real bottom of his class. He has nowhere near the leadership experience he claims to have. He has followed the Bush/Cheney administration some 95% of the time and will represent little more than a third term for Bush. He has put himself in the pockets of big oil. He has mistaken the Sunni and Shiites on more than one occasion, thinks that Czechoslovakia is still a country, He is opposed to abortion and says he will appoint Supreme Court Justices in the mold of Scalia (heaven forbid!), and he is a terrible hypocrite (everything he has criticized Obama for he has done himself. There are too many examples to list but consider his treatment of our military, his about face on taxes, drilling for oil, and Afghanistan, etc., etc.). He will be 72 years old and in my opinion is already showing preliminary signs of senility. Worst of all, he is unabashedley and consistently militaristic, to the exclusion of any other approach to problems. He has announced repeatedly there will be other wars, there will be other wars, ad infinitum, and it is pretty damn certain there will be if he ever becomes President. He is known to be hot tempered and revengeful. Now tell me, is that the kind of person you really want for President? Whatever you might think of Obama, is McCain an adequate substitute? I most certainly don’t think so. If Obama is risky, McCain is much more risky. His approach to Foreign Policy is a relic of 19th century colonialism. It seems to be a mixture of Onward Christian Soldiers, Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, shoot first and ask questions later, with a bit of the White Man’s Burden thrown in for good measure. When he addresses us as “my friends,” I suggest you reach for your wallet with one hand and your revolver with the other. His once admired Straight Talk Express has become little more than the Forked Tongue Freighter. It has not been a pretty development. So Senator McCain, I suggest your attempt to destroy Obama might easily backfire and destroy yourself. You really have nothing to offer that hasn’t already failed.
LKBIQ:
To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
Sir Winston Churchill
loses two tavern owners
within 24 hour period.
George W. Bush demands Russia withdraw from Georgia. Please try to restrain your hysterical laughter.
The swiftboaters are coming out now against Obama. I guess their book is already out. One can only imagine the wealth of lies, exaggerations, distortions, and innuendoes it must contain. They are not at all coy about their intentions, the author (whose name I cannot remember for the moment) has said he does not want Obama to be President. I guess you can easily figure out what audience is going to be drawn to such a book. This will be roviation carried to its apex. Pathetic. I’m all for free speech but in cases like this I do wonder if it should be permitted. That is, when everyone knows it is going to be nothing but a pack of lies, why bother? Far right groups will be ordering this piece of filth to make it appear to be a best seller, just as they do with Ann Coulter’s asininities.
McCain has not disavowed this attempt, even though in the past he has admitted that Obama is patriotic and a fine candidate. This just proves, once again, that he will do anything, no matter how sleazy, to become President.
The McCain campaign has made no secret of their strategy. Knowing they have no chance of winning on any of the important issues, they are making it clear they are out to discredit Obama (and are actively involved in trying to do just that, as above). I recommend that people think very carefully about this, and about the implications of it. Think of what we will have left if they destroy Obama, and ask yourself if that is really what you want for a President. John McCain is not an attractive candidate for President for many, many reasons. He is a serious flip-flopper which can be easily seen in the many ways he has changed his mind over time, not the least of which is now embracing supporters that not long ago he viciously spurned (Evangelicals, for example). He surrounded himself with advisors that were important and active lobbyists even while professing he was against lobbyists. He currently has an important member of his staff who has been (and perhaps still is) an active lobbyist for the nation of Georgia (a blatant conflict of interest). He was previously involved in the Keating scandal, hardly a recommendation for being President. He is a known adulterer. He graduated towards the real bottom of his class. He has nowhere near the leadership experience he claims to have. He has followed the Bush/Cheney administration some 95% of the time and will represent little more than a third term for Bush. He has put himself in the pockets of big oil. He has mistaken the Sunni and Shiites on more than one occasion, thinks that Czechoslovakia is still a country, He is opposed to abortion and says he will appoint Supreme Court Justices in the mold of Scalia (heaven forbid!), and he is a terrible hypocrite (everything he has criticized Obama for he has done himself. There are too many examples to list but consider his treatment of our military, his about face on taxes, drilling for oil, and Afghanistan, etc., etc.). He will be 72 years old and in my opinion is already showing preliminary signs of senility. Worst of all, he is unabashedley and consistently militaristic, to the exclusion of any other approach to problems. He has announced repeatedly there will be other wars, there will be other wars, ad infinitum, and it is pretty damn certain there will be if he ever becomes President. He is known to be hot tempered and revengeful. Now tell me, is that the kind of person you really want for President? Whatever you might think of Obama, is McCain an adequate substitute? I most certainly don’t think so. If Obama is risky, McCain is much more risky. His approach to Foreign Policy is a relic of 19th century colonialism. It seems to be a mixture of Onward Christian Soldiers, Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, shoot first and ask questions later, with a bit of the White Man’s Burden thrown in for good measure. When he addresses us as “my friends,” I suggest you reach for your wallet with one hand and your revolver with the other. His once admired Straight Talk Express has become little more than the Forked Tongue Freighter. It has not been a pretty development. So Senator McCain, I suggest your attempt to destroy Obama might easily backfire and destroy yourself. You really have nothing to offer that hasn’t already failed.
LKBIQ:
To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.
Sir Winston Churchill
Paper tigers
If we needed any further proof that Bush/Cheney have destroyed whatever authority the U.S. had in world affairs, along with our credibility, this Russian/Georgian conflict should remove all doubt. McCain and Cheney can bluster and threaten and lie all they want about what is happening in Georgia, but they will be unable to do anything whatsoever about it. They say Russia should be punished for their aggression and pay no attention whatsoever to the U.S. and Georgian role in this dispute. So who is going to punish them? Certainly not the U.S., nor will NATO or the United Nations do anything. First of all the Russians can just point to Iraq as an example of true aggression and we have no moral authority to tell Russia what they can do, especially on their own borders (where we have been meddling for years). Second, our failure in Iraq has exposed us for the Paper Tiger we have become under the miserable policies of Bush/Cheney. Third, Bush/Cheney are lame ducks. No one is going to pay any attention to them anyway. Fourth, our inability to curb Iran’s nuclear activities (which are perfectly legal) makes it clear that we are largely impotent at the moment. Fifth, our inability to capture Osama bin Laden is hardly an example of our power and ability. In short, we are finished when it comes to being the “only superpower left.” Our military superiority (which may be exaggerated in the first place) has proven to be pretty much useless and seems to have been offset by our lack of brainpower. McCain and the neocons cling to the belief that our military offers solutions to all problems everywhere, even thought that has become increasingly called into question. McCain can claim victory in Iraq and boast that he knows how to win wars but the reality is quite different. This is partly because we insist on starting “wars” that simply cannot be “won.” The war on drugs is the best case in point, as was our much touted war on poverty. The Iraq war is no different. It cannot be won, and it should have been obvious from the beginning. Now we are insisting on continuing our war in Afghanistan which most certainly can never be won. Why do we persist in such obvious stupidity? We may be about to start another war that will not and cannot be won. If we attack Iran, or allow Israel to do so we will only have proven my point once again. Military power is useless in the absence of brainpower. When you believe you are going to make people love you by attacking and brutalizing them I should think Iraq has taught us a serious lesson (remember how we were going to be greeted as liberators by happy people throwing flowers at our troops). Some might conclude this is merely idiocy. I suspect it is more than merely idiocy, it also has an element of madness to it.
Still another bear attack. This one in Tennessee where a bear attacked an eight year old boy playing in a creek. There was apparently no obvious reason for this attack. When the boy managed to scare the young bear away it soon returned and attacked his father as well. Fortunately neither the boy or his father were seriously injured. As the bear weighed only 86 pounds I conclude it must have been young. But why did it choose to attack such an innocent target? Perhaps it trained in Afghanistan and it just hates us for our freedoms (like stealing its food and territory).
LKBIQ:
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Mark Twain
Still another bear attack. This one in Tennessee where a bear attacked an eight year old boy playing in a creek. There was apparently no obvious reason for this attack. When the boy managed to scare the young bear away it soon returned and attacked his father as well. Fortunately neither the boy or his father were seriously injured. As the bear weighed only 86 pounds I conclude it must have been young. But why did it choose to attack such an innocent target? Perhaps it trained in Afghanistan and it just hates us for our freedoms (like stealing its food and territory).
LKBIQ:
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Mark Twain
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