ever wonder...

how other countries and cultures view U.S. politics?

Well, the German's have a clear vision of our Democratic Primary race.

The picture below is from one of their Rosa Monday parades that are the highlight of the Carnival season before the start of Lent.

A lot of people don't think the German people have a sense of humor. (of course, they say that about the British also.) one visit to Germany will convince you that it is not true.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...






i was bitten in the ass by a German Shepard when I was a child. it really hurts. i had the bite marks to prove it...

weekender...

Pfizer Announcement


Pfizer Corp. announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.

Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of 'cocktails', 'highballs' and just a good old-fashioned 'stiff drink'.

Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra now than on Alzheimer's research.

This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.


some people don't know what to do with them right now...

get out of hell free card...

I have received requests to explain my get out of hell free card again. It originally was in a post about Sen. Larry Craig in which I said some things that some people might consider, well, sinful? [here]

At the end of the post I explained why I didn't have to worry. Well, at least as far as the Catholic Church is concerned:

[i know. you all think i'm going to hell for this as well as some other things i've written, but i have a get out of hell card. i walked through the Jubilee Door at the Vatican in 1976. it's only opened every 25 or 50 years and any one who makes the pilgrimage has all sins forgiven through a plenary indulgence. so, according to the myth, i'm safe.]

So, to use an idea that one of the British Pragmatists used, though I cannot logically prove that God exists in any way, I find the possible alternative of an eternity in hell with fire and brimstone unacceptable. It's best to hedge all your bets then.

i'm hedging; i'm hedging...


[i'm also in no way serious]

denounce or reject: there is a difference...

Obama supporters, and I include the MSM in this, are making a big deal out of Tim Russert's question to Senator Obama in Tuesday night's debate about Louis Farrakhan giving his support to the senator. Farrakhan has a long history of making anti-semitic remarks and the question was based on these statements. There also is a long history of resentment and anti-semitism in the African-American community, of which, to his credit, Mr. Obama has pledged to bring that gap to a close.

For anyone who didn't see the debate or doesn't recall it, the question was,

"On Sunday, the headline in your hometown paper, Chicago Tribune: 'Louis Farrakhan backs Obama for president at Nation of Islam convention in Chicago.' Do you accept the support of Louis Farrakhan?

Senator Obama chose to answer that he denounced Minister Farrakhan's anti-semitic remarks.

You know, I have been very clear in my denunciation of Minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. I think that they are unacceptable and reprehensible. I did not solicit this support. He expressed pride in an African-American who seems to be bringing the country together. I obviously can't censor him, but it is not support that I sought. And we're not doing anything, I assure you, formally or informally with Minister Farrakhan.

Russert followed up with

"Do you reject his support?"

Obama continued to parse on the word denounce.

"Well, Tim, you know, I can't say to somebody that he can't say that he thinks I'm a good guy. I have been very clear in my denunciations of him and his past statements, and I think that indicates to the American people what my stance is on those comments."

Russert persisted on the word reject. Mrs. Clinton shared that when she ran for the Senate from New York, she was approached by a very anti-semitic group that told her that they would throw their support to her as long as she took certain stands. She rejected the group outright.

The final statement by Mr. Obama was

Tim, I have to say I don't see a difference between denouncing and rejecting. There's no formal offer of help from Minister Farrakhan that would involve me rejecting it. But if the word "reject" Senator Clinton feels is stronger than the word "denounce," then I'm happy to concede the point, and I would reject and denounce.

There is a huge difference between denounce and reject and I don't think Obama, if he understood the difference, would have really wanted to go the way he did. He would have been better off to say reject and left it at that.

So, let's look at the import of the differences between the two words and the impact of them on the question and the answers.

reject (rĭ-jěkt') tr.v. re·ject·ed, re·ject·ing, re·jects
1. To refuse to accept, submit to, believe, or make use of.
2. To refuse to consider or grant; deny.
3. To refuse to recognize or give affection to (a person).
4. To discard as defective or useless; throw away.

denounce (dĭ-nouns')
tr.v. de·nounced, de·nounc·ing, de·nounc·es
1. To condemn openly as being evil or reprehensible. See Synonyms at criticize.
2. To accuse formally.
3. To give formal announcement of the ending of (a treaty).

- American Heritage Dictionary

The Catholic church denounced Martin Luther because they believed him reprhensible and evil to question its authority. They rejected his 95 Theses as defective because the theses questioned dogma and belief.

Mr. Obama made a value judgment about Minister Farrakhan. In effect, Obama said that the minister was evil and reprehensible. He would have been better off saying that he refused to accept (rejected) Farrakhan's support. Now, Obama runs the risk of alienating a group of people who support him, and not just Farrakhan followers. The minister is very highly regarded in the African-American community for his service, even if they don't agree with his religious beliefs.

In addition, the exchange has gathered a lot of controversy and Obama supporters are attacking Tim Russert for his tactic and keeping the matter in the media's sights. They are basically saying it was an unfair attack on the Senator.

huh?

People are starting to ask the hard questions of Mr. Obama. It's natural; he's the front-funner; most people believe he is already the Democratic nominee and the next president of the United States. To me (in my opinion that is) this reflects a fervent religiosity in protecting the candidate who they see as their rescuer from the thralldom of the last 40 years.

If Mr. Obama is, in fact, nominated as the Democratic contender, he's going to have to get used to attacks and some that will be vicious. The Republicans are not about to concede the Presidency and they will do anything and everything to make sure they have a man in the White House and (I will say what others don't want to say) a white man.

Whether it's Obama or Clinton, I think we can guarantee that the Republicans are in a lose-lose situation - a black man or a woman.

...shoots the Bible all to hell and their core conservative fundamental beliefs.

...and to make things worse, neither Clinton nor Obama are overtly religious.


we're all going to hell...

oh, wait, not me. i have the get out of hell free card. so, you all are going to hell...

sneak peek...

a new Bugatti Veyron under (w)raps...






this one will be unveiled next week at the Geneva '08 Auto Show.

what's so special? it was designed by Hermés, an exclusive French design group.

now, the Pur Sang i showed you last week was the unpainted highly polished aluminum model that was an extra $300,000.

a pocket square, that little piece of cloth you put in a suit coat pocket and is really nothing more than a small handerkerchief you can't use to blow your nose, costs $125.00 at Hermés. so, there is no telling what the extra cost for this Veyron will be.

anyone care to venture a guess?

my guess? $650,000.

that would make the Hermés Veyron's cost $2,150,000!

can't afford that on a retired educator's salary...

i can dream though. can't i?

if you plan on going to Europe this summer...

think twice and if you already have reservations, see if they are completely refundable.

The Euro hit an all time high against the dollar today - $1.513.

This means that you are paying 50% more for anything purchased from Europe or in Europe. It is the dollar at its weakest.

Most countries use the dollar as the basis for trade with their currency. Within the last few months a number of these countries have been threatening to change that. Iran is one, but I wouldn't put too much in it.

Where I would put a lot of emphasis is China. China has been talking for a long time about doing this. Their economy is basically booming; a lot of products in the U.S. are produced in China; Tsar George has used China as a personal Payday Loan bank to fund his amusements in Iraq.

Of course, along with all of this we are bombarded daily with inflation, fast rising gas prices, threats of recession, home mortgages fiascos, bank and lender bailouts... The list is becoming endless.

Of course Mr. Bush has slashed taxes - for the rich - while touting that he is doing it for the middle class. He believes that giving a refund in May will stimulate the economy because people will spend the money on things. What he doesn't understand is those things will most likely be paying bills on what we owe, not on new products.

Clinton and Obama have each put out an economic stimulus package. Clinton's was first and a couple of weeks later, Obama's was announced. If you take a look at the two packages [and yes, I do look at these things] they are similar with one exception. Clinton indicates from where the money is to come and that the goal is a balanced budget as her husband did during his presidency. Obama does not say where the money is. There is also no mention of balancing the budget that I could find.

No matter what, we are in really deep s*** right now.

so, put off your trip to Europe or cancel it. spend money in the U.S. and, for heaven's sake save money for the future. this entire thing is quite spurious and deep.

it is difficult to get out of a deep hole when you keeping digging in a downward movement.

similar quotes...

Previously, I posted a quote by Mark Twain about Jesus:

If Jesus were alive today, there is one thing he wouldn't be - a christian.

Here is one similar in tone from Kurt Vonnegut with much more import:



is this a case of "like father, like son?"

just asking...

the "last debate"...

or will it really be the last?

Everybody watching the debate saw something different. No one sees the same thing in the same way.

The best example of this is the classic Japanese movie Rashomon that Akira Kurosawa did about an attack on a woman witnessed by several people. Each saw something different happen. One even blamed the victim.

In reading the papers, watching the news stations, and reading what blogs and commenters are saying, there are as many views of the debate as there are people who watched it. Each person watches for what s/he is looking.

Last night, I watched facial expression, speech pattern, and eye movement of both candidates. These are all signs of what a person is saying versus what is actually going on in their thinking process.

Obama stammered quite a bit; his eyes blinked quite noticeably; and his facial expression was mostly motionless. Clinton, on the other hand, did very little of this. Her voice was steady and had inflection; her blinking was normal, and she used facial expression that reflected what she was saying.

These behaviors, in research studies, point to uncertainty on the part of the speaker in what s/he is saying or indicate cautiousness to not slip up. These things don't address what is actually being said, but what is behind them.

In effect, what I am referring to is that how you say something can be more important than what you say. There is meaning behind words not just in them.

As far as the Farrakhan matter, pundits are exclaiming that it was a useless question and unfair. It was a fair question to ask and Russert asked it as a "yes/no" question. Obama didn't answer yes or no. He hedged. something that he does quite a lot. That Russert kept pushing it was remarkable. [Russert actually did this more than once and to both Clinton and Obama.] More telling, imo, was Obama's "final answer": "I both reject and denounce...." I'm not sure is he was saying that he still had to have it his way or if he didn't want to offend a specific community/voting bloc. Having lived through seven years of 'fudged' answers, more people should be able to spot this.

The media and pundits have been asking Clinton for an apology for her 2002 vote authorizing the Iraq incursion. Why should she apologize? She understands that she did what she did and can't take it back. She admits that, had she known what she does today, she wouldn't have voted as she did.

She also made the point that Obama, when asked directly if had he been in the Senate at the time of the vote, would he have voted for it. He previously has answered that he doesn't know. Yet Clinton is consistently faulted on her vote. She made it very clear what her position has been for quite some time now. It's basically being ignored.

The other point that is now being brought up more and more is Obama's record and previous experience. No one can deny that it is lacking in amount. Charlie Gibson on ABC national news did a story on Obama's record in Illinois. It was not all that promising. There was more questioning than supporting of it by the Illinois politicians who were interviewed.

The members of the media are saying that the debate was even and, therefore, Obama won. He made no mistakes. Has anyone been allowed to see him make mistakes or know about mistakes he's made? I'd like to see how he'd handle it. So far, we don't really know.

be careful what you wish for...

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride,
If turnips were swords I'd have one by my side.
If 'ifs' and "ands" were pots and pans
There would be no need for tinkers hands!

- Scottish nursery rhyme

no comment...

Vote! It's the least you can do...

i got stopped for speeding the other day...

I thought I could talk my way out of it until the cop looked at my dog in the back seat...






oops...

jeebus, i wish i could say this...

my grandmother, in her Italian wisdom, said it best -

The man who said life begins at forty
should have been shot!

monday morning mayhem...

say it without opening your mouth...
























the last one is my favorite.

bitches get things done...

there are all kinds of families...

you don't need a piece of paper, traditional values, or sacred books to justify them. they just happen...

some people would say "better late than never..."

i say, "'bout f****** time!"

The NYT's today, finally, put an article on the Lawrence King murder by a classmate for being gay at school in its paper. FIFTEEN days AFTER it happened! And I won't count the 89 word announcement: National Briefing|West on Feb. 13th or the 112 word one on Feb 16th when he was taken off life support. The two were merely announcements.

Boy’s Killing, Labeled a Hate Crime, Stuns a Town

OXNARD, Calif. — Hundreds of mourners gathered at a church here on Friday to remember an eighth-grade boy who was shot to death inside a junior high
school computer lab by a fellow student in what prosecutors are calling a hate crime....

In interviews, classmates of the two boys at E. O. Green Junior High School said Lawrence had started wearing mascara, lipstick and jewelry to school, prompting a group of male students to bully him.

“They teased him because he was different,” said Marissa Moreno, 13, also in the eighth grade. “But he wasn’t afraid to show himself....”

On the morning of Feb. 12, Lawrence was in the school’s computer lab with 24 other students, said Mr. Keith, the police spokesman. Brandon walked into the room with a gun and shot Lawrence in the head, the police said, then ran from the building. Police officers caught him a few blocks away....

The alleged shooter is being held on $77,000 bond and will enter a plea at a court hearing on March 21st. He could go to jail for 52 years to life.

[anyone wanna bet what the plea that some smarta** attorney is going to have him use? no takers? didn't think there would be...]

The assailant is a victim too - a victim of homophobic training; his parents should be charged with a hate crime also. Whether they encouraged it openly or by omission makes no difference. They are responsible for their son. Where do you suppose he got the gun?

As far as the gun, there had been talk among the kids for a couple of days before that the shooter had not just been agitated but had made threats. Some people might get angry for my saying this but, Why didn't any of those kids warn an adult in the building or at home? I have to blame them for this tragedy also.

Now, before anyone gets into a huff, I worked in schools for almost my entire adult life. The last 15 years were in a school that was the neutral boundary between two gangs. We made it very clear to the kids that they had a responsibility to report to an adult, and it would be anonymous if they asked, of anything that they believed could become a problem. If there was any talk of a weapon, they had to let someone know because we made it clear that in most cases the intended victim wasn't usually the one to get hurt or worse. It was always others in the wrong place at the right time.

They pulled through for us all the time. Once, though the weapon was inoperable, it worked. I was very proud of my kids. They knew how to handle it. Of course, the difference here may be that my kids lived with this fear as part of their natural surroundings; Oxnard may be merely coming from an ignorant position - they didn't know. One parent asked why there were no metal detectors. We had the hand-held type and would do unannounced random checks. In Chicago high schools the students go through metal detectors like at the airport every single day and bag searches also.

It's a sad statement about our society and our children.

The treatment of LGBTQ children is not all that uncommon and never has been. Since Matthew Shepard it's been brought to the fore. People are more aware. People are more apt to think twice. People are more willing to help - one way or the other. The outrage is finally starting to take hold - slowly.

There have been vigils and memorials not only in Oxnard, where the shooting occurred, but all across California and in other cities around the country. People remembering Lawrence for his courage to be who he was, for his laugh, for his smile, and for his cute boots. There is a memorial website for Lawrence here.

if you want to help make a difference, here are two sites you can visit and contribute and take action:

The Matthew Shepard Foundation

The Trevor Project

my sadness at the loss of one child for any reason is immense and has been unbearable at times, but for something that they are and proud enough to share, it's unforgivable.

stop, think. learn, make a statement...

weekender...

this could be another reason to get rid of DADT -


Fifty-one years ago, Herman James, a North Carolina mountain man, was drafted by the Army.

On his first day in basic training, the Army issued him a comb. That afternoon the Army barber sheared off all his hair.

On his second day, the Army issued Herman a toothbrush. That afternoon the Army dentist yanked seven of his teeth.

On the third day, the Army issued him a jock strap. The Army has been looking for Herman for 51 years.

ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch...

before you pay any attention to focus groups opinions...

The very first use of focus groups was used in the 1950's. It was concerning the development of a product.

A major corporation, under the recommendations of it's marketeers used the unproven technique to find out what people wanted in this type of product.

It's results were amazing!

scroll down to see what the product was -

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓

↓




recognize it?

yep... the Ford Edsel, quite a winner, don't ya think?

and the news people and campaigns are relying on this technique?

just asking...

jeebus cripes, they just won't stop...

from an article just posted [2:38 pm]on the NYT's website:

Clinton Says Debate Remark Not Meant as Farewell

DALLAS — With the mood of her campaign darkened by the death of a motorcycle officer escorting her motorcade Friday, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to carry on her campaign despite reflective remarks in a debate Thursday night that some people took as a valedictory to her long effort to win the Democratic presidential nomination....

In the wake of the accident, Mrs. Clinton decided to cancel a rally in Fort Worth, speaking only briefly to the assembling crowds.

and so they think that this is a sign that she knows that she can't win!

it's six more months until the convention in Denver. The NYT, even though most are considering it's report specious, printed a piece about John McCain and a lobbyist that could put his campaign to a halt, even though no one is running against him except Huckleberry. One huge misstep and it could be fast curtains for him.

The same thing can happen to Obama or Clinton. They, at the least, are both within reach of a possible brokered nomination.

The American media has this thing about writing the news and not reporting it. Maybe writing isn't the correct word to use. Maybe it would be better to say make up the news. Dan Abrams has been making a direct reference point to this on his show for the last few weeks - right after Olbermann's Countdown program that makes no bones about the fact that it's news with a point of view.

i know, i'm getting caught up in the craziness and i said i wouldn't. it's kind of hard when i'm not really sure about Clinton's finishing statement in the debate last night: "I know that no matter what happens, we'll be all right."

my anti-Vietnam War days are still at the back of my head. there are too many idiots out there. the most noteworthy is our dear leader Tsar George...

i can't help it...

this is the Hillary you see when you have her in person. i've seen her a couple of times. she is warm and caring and sincere and bright and real. sadly, the cameras or the newspeople don't let it come out on t.v.

hey, watch your language...

Jackie and Dunlap explain Superdelegates and give a solution.


Superdelegates - Red State Update

i haven't heard anything better.

yet...


hey..., it could happen!

five of a kind...

I make my fascination and lust of the Bugatti Veyron no secret. I've posted quite a few times.

There is now a special version of it known as the Pur Sang. It is French for "pure blood." The name comes from the fact that there is no paint on the body of the car. The aluminum body is purely and seamlessly polished and highly shines. There were only five produced. One of them showed up in Abu Dhabi. No one knows where the other four went. [I'm sure they'll pop up somewhere.]

Below are two pictures of the Pur Sang. The heads-up came from Autoblog and you can not only read the story here but also see a video that someone took who spotted it on a highway in Abu Dhabi.






i forgot to mention the cost.

on top of the $1.5 million for the Veyron, this version costs an additional $300,000! Who knew paint was so cheap?


i'm still moist...

where's the outrage?

from Sara Whitman at the Huffington Post today concerning the killing of a 15-year old young man in Oxnard, California for just being being gay -

While the gay community has been blazing for days about this incident, the rest of the country dozes on, reading about Michelle Obama's wardrobe choices on the campaign trail, or Roger Clemens lying his ass off on Capitol Hill.

Because this is the one kind of hate no one seems to be willing to stand up against. Let's not offend anyone who believes Jesus was anti-homosexual. Careful not to send a message of tolerance to young children in case they find some condolence in that message and face another day.

Don't worry. I get the message, loud and clear.

Just one more dead faggot.

-- Sara Whitman: Just One More Dead Faggot

Whitman also mentions that neither Clinton nor Obama, who support LGBTQ rights, has made no mention of this. McCain, of course, one would not expect to make a comment. He at least is honest in his pandering to the conservatives, christianists, and wingers by his silence.


so, where is the outrage?

just asking...

MSNBC reports...

Well, at least MSNBC waited 17 minutes this time before declaring Obama the winner in Wisconsin.

Of course, they did call it with only 1% of the precincts reporting. That's 1% more than in the past primaries.

why don't we just forget about primaries and let the MSM decide who the candidates will be? they seem to be making the decision anyway...


i'm just asking...

you'll never see this on ABC, NBC, CBS...

maybe not even on Logo or here!...



only the British are prudish enough and accepting enough and open enough to allow this shameless display of real life.

a gay off?


i sigh...

doubt net neutrality is an issue?

read this, if you do:

Whistleblowing website vows to defy court gag

An international website that claims to blow the whistle on corporate and governmental fraud vowed yesterday to defy attempts by a US court to close it down. Wikileaks allows whistleblowers to anonymously post documents in an attempt to expose corruption and wrongdoing. Its owners said yesterday that a Californian judge had ordered that the site be taken offline last week, after an injunction from a Swiss bank....

Last week a Californian district court judge, Jeffrey White, accepted the bank's injunction without amendment and also ordered Dynadot, the site's domain registry, to delete all record of the address from the central internet domain registry. Wikileaks' founders said the US court's move breached the first amendment.

Guardian.uk.com

Oh, Judge White, he's a Bush/Cheney administration appointee who has ruled against San Francisco's Healthcare program in December thereby denying 82,000 people insurance coverage. On the other hand he allowed a case dealing with global warming to continue in opposition to the Bush/Cheney administration's wishes.

a natural misunderstanding...

You Don't Have To Own A Cat To Appreciate This One!

You don't even have to like 'em!

We were dressed and ready to go out for the New Year's Eve Party. We turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard.

We phoned the local cab company and requested a taxi. The taxi arrived and we opened the front door to leave the house.

The cat we put out in the yard, scoots back into the house. We didn't want the cat shut in the house because she always tries to eat the bird.

My wife goes out to the taxi, while I went inside to get the cat. The cat runs upstairs, with me in hot pursuit. Waiting in the cab, my wife doesn't want the driver to know that the house will be empty for the night. So, she explains to the taxi driver that I will be out soon, "He's just going upstairs to say Good-bye to my
mother."

A few minutes later, I get into the cab. "Sorry I took so long," I said, as we drove away. "That stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. I had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out! She tried to take off, so I grabbed her by the neck. Then, I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me. But it
worked! I hauled her fat ass downstairs and threw her out into the back yard!"

The cab driver hit a parked car.

hey! it could happen...

speaking of the campaign...

you all know the ones that are missing.

now, we need to get rid of at least one more...

no comment...

Bush Dismisses Iraq Recession: The War Has ‘Nothing To Do With The Economy’

This morning on NBC’s Today Show, President Bush denied that the there’s any link between the faltering U.S. economy and $10 billion a month being spent on the Iraq war. In fact, according to Bush, the war is actually helping the economy:

CURRY: You don’t agree with that? It has nothing do with the economy, the war — spending on the war?

BUSH: I don’t think so. I think actually the spending in the war might help with jobs…because we’re buying equipment, and people are working. I think this economy is down because we built too many houses and the economy’s adjusting.

-- Huffington Post, 18 February 2008

RSC in London, England...

now, here's something that would have been a big help in high school when studying Romeo and Juliet. It's not from the Royal Shakespeare Company of England. it's from the Reduced Shakespeare Company



this was Part 1. here is Part 2. it's even greater.



romeo, romeo. whereforth art thou romeo?

did you look down? huh?

monday morning mayhem...

product endorsement...

Dear Tide Laundry Soap,

I am writing to say what an excellent product you have! I've used it all of my married life, as my Mom always told me it was the best. Now that I am in my fifties I find it even better! In fact, about a month ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse. My inconsiderate and uncaring husband started to belittle me about how clumsy I was, and generally started becomin g a pain in the neck. One thing led to another and somehow I ended up with his blood on my new white blouse! I grabbed my bottle of Tide with bleach alternative, to my surprise and satisfaction! , all of the stains came out! In fact, the stains came out so well the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse were negative and then my attorney called and said that I was no longer considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband.

What a relief! Going through menopause is bad enough without being a murder suspect! I thank you, once again, for having a great product.

Well, gotta go, have to write to the Hefty bag people.

Keep up the good work,

Maude

is this the real problem...

with DADT?



then why are they all smiling?

just asking...

weekender...

Frozen Grand Central

so coooooollllllllll...

i mean, frozen.......

British LGBT ad campaign...

Stonewall:UK is running a new PSA in it's new Education For All campaign in the British Isles.

The first of the visual ads is with Torchwood star, and a personal favorite of mine, John Barrowman.

It's clean, clear and to the point.






what else can one say?

thing is, once they get over it, they'll realize that there was nothing to get over to begin with...

Amb. Joseph C. Wilson talks about Obama...

In previous posts, here, here, & here to cite three of them, I have questioned Sen. Obama's ability to actually act and follow-through and bring about the change he is so wont to repeat over and over. The question still deserves an answer while people (ie voters) are excited by his "charisma" and "message." He is often compared to John F. Kennedy in this respect.

I will admit that I was caught up with all of the excitement of the John F. Kennedy era in the early 1960's and his promises. I still can wax poetic about the perceived covenant of the Age of Aquarius. In hindsight, it is easier to focus on the promise and the Camelot aura of his short time in office. I am right now going to commit what many will see as a mortal sin. Even my closest friends were in shock when I said this in conversation.

What exactly did JFK accomplish?

He was responsible for the Bay of Pigs debacle in 1961.

JFK brought the world to the brink of an atomic war with the Cuban Missile Crisis. It may have been something that had to be done, but I do remember being frightened, and I was a teenager at the time.

Kennedy established the Alliance for Progress to thwart the growth of Communism in South American. It espoused that violence had to be stopped in order to prevent revolution. Chile and Peru still have problems with groups actively trying to overthrow governments. And Hugo Chavez is prominent today in Venezuela and constantly verbally threatens the U.S.

He committed ground troops to Vietnam and consequently began the U.S. involvement in a country's internal problem when Eisenhower avoided it at all costs. He did this under the quise of thwarting Communism in Southeast Asia.

As a result of the Vietnam War JFK pledged not only ground and air troops, but he ignored President Eisenhower's caution to beware the growth and influence of the military-industrial complex in his farewell address. Just look at Iraq to see the gargantuan, tentacled monster that may be the ultimate example of the ignored warning.

He gave a memorable speech, Ich bin ein Berliner stressing that a democratic united Germany was important. The East German Government had already built the wall but he crackdown worsened immediately after the speech. Ronald Reagan finally helped bring the wall down and and the unification of the two Germanies.

Yes, John F. Kennedy did positive and good things also, but who can know, if he hadn't been assassinated, he could have followed through on any of them. It took others to finish what he began, and there is no way to tell.

All of this is a prelude to point out a piece that Amb. Joseph Wilson wrote initially for the Baltimore Sun that was on the Huffington Post today - Battle Tested.

Yes, Wilson is pro-Clinton for both political and personal reasons, but he brings up questions to which I've tried to generate attention.

What gives us confidence Mr. Obama will be stronger the next time he faces Mr. McCain, a seasoned political fighter with extensive national security credentials?

How will he answer charges that his desire for unstructured personal summits without preconditions with a host of America's adversaries, from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Kim Jong Il, would be little more than premature capitulation?

Wilson points to Sen. Obama's repeated claim that he was against the Iraq War from the beginning but brings up a scenario that I have alluded to previously.

Senator Obama claims superior judgment on the war in Iraq based on one speech given as a state legislator representing the most liberal district in Illinois at an anti-war rally in Chicago, and in so doing impugns the integrity of those who were part of the debate on the national scene. In mischaracterizing the debate on the Authorization for the Use of Military Force as a declaration of war, he implicitly blames Democrats for George Bush's war of choice. Obama's negative attack line does not conform to the facts. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I should know. I was among the most prominent anti-war voices at the time -- and never heard about or from then Illinois State Senator Obama.

Wilson makes the point that Obama, at the time, did not have all of the information that was presented to Mrs. Clinton and other Senators at the time, that we now know was clouded right from the beginning by the Bush/Cheney administration.

I know that I can go on about this, but I recommend that you read Ambassador Wilson's piece for yourself, especially for the complete explanation of the Iraq war argument. Look through all of the rhetoric of change and focus on what is and not on what might be. They can both be very confusing, and the country is in such a mess from the outrageous things that Bush/Cheney have done to our democracy that I believe that we need to focus on what's real. You can read it here:

Battle Tested


i guess i just finally officially verified what was a transparent illusion - I support Senator Clinton.

Virginia primary...

At exactly 7:00 EST, MSNBC announced that Obama is the winner in Virginia.

7:00 PM! The exact minute that the polls closed. They didn't even give it a minute like last week.

And that it was because 55% of white males supported him.

But the Republican primary is too close to call. I thought McCain is already the candidate of choice? Oh, and it's because the independents decided to vote Democrat because McCain is.

I was going to make this a no comment... post, but why?

the Miss America presidential race continues...

I do have one serious question.

Obama is touted over and over as being a community organizer. I would imagine that this experience is helping him organize voters at the local level and coupled with his no-issue, no-position charisma it may be carrying the weight.

My question is what did he actually organize as a community organizer?

I live in Chicago. I worked in the African-American community. I really don't remember what his organizing actually accomplished or if it is still in effect to this day. I'm serious...

i really don't know.

no comment...

john.he.is




actually, i do have to make a comment. no, it's not a comment. it's a little information. a good friend's son and daughter-in-law appear in the video and helped create it. Josh is the guy playing the guitar. Nyima is the first female singer in the video. Josh and Nyima work with Second City and many other shows, projects, etc. Nyima appeared in a recurring role in the TV show Girlfriends over the years.

no comment...

Woman, 70, jailed for refusal to water

OREM, Utah - When 70-year old Betty Perry was accused of neglecting her lawn, she became defieant.

Perry was arrested, handcuffed and briefly jailed in July for declining a ticket for failing to water her lawn.

She agreed on Friday to resolve her case by pleading guilty to a disorderly conduct charge and paying a $100 fine.

"For our part, it accomplishes what we set out to accomplish from the very beginning," prosecuter Andrew Peterson said.

AP

monday morning mayhem...

IMPORTANT: Health Advisory Alerts

DON'T swallow bubblegum!

and


Electile Dysfunction:
the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president
put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.

...and none of the usual medications will work - viagra, cialis, etc.


although, turning off the television does give temporary relief...

no comment...

"Never miss a good chance to shut up."

- Will Rogers

now that was a snowy winter...

We've been hearing news story after news story and weather report after weather report about the amount of snow the country is having this winter. Milwaukee seems to be leading the totals this year when it is usually Buffalo, New York.

With all the talk of weather change, we have forgotten exactly what winter is about. Chicago for the last several years has had very mild winters. However, we've had a lot of snow this past week and the temperature outside right now is -2° with windchills of up to [or should I say down to?] -26°.

This is more like the winters I grew up with. As a reminder, here is a picture from 1967 and the snowstorm/blizzard on January 26th. We had 23 inches of snow in 12 hours with 6-12 foot drifts!


Lake Shore Drive, the major lakefront roadway
No one was going anywhere.

Over the next couple of weeks there was more snow and, in typical Chicago fashion, the temperatures plummeted. It seems, for as long as I can remember, that everytime there is a major snowfall in Chicago the thermometer drops and we have a period of extremely cold weather.

I remember the storm in 1967. I was at university and hardly ever came home. I did that weekend for a friend's wedding. She had the wedding [it ended in divorce; I wonder if there's a connection?] I also made it back, driving, to school on Sunday. I don't remember how. The buses were stranded in the middle of the major streets. It took weeks for people to dig out in some cases.

Weather is always a topic of conversation with people. Usually one of the first things we talk about when we meet. We're the same here in Chicago. We have one other saying about weather that is really pretty accurate:

If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes. It'll change.

it's usually true...

David Shuster, Chris Matthews...

A couple of days ago I did a post entitled new addition to the blogosphere... when I talked about a new site I had just started called no comment....

In it I mention where I found the idea - on Euronews. I talked about how refreshing it was to see the news rather than listen to someone's blather about what they thought, how they interpreted what a news item meant, or why it made a difference. Just the news.

Fox News seems to be based on non-reporting reporting. [Can we use the "Enquirer" as a comparison?] Chris Matthews is one of the pundits who does this slanting all the time. Some others who use it are Joe Scarborough, Lou Dobbs, Wolf Blitzer, Glenn Beck.... The list goes on with no seeming end. [Max Headroom be proud!]

There has been much talk lately about Matthews' misogyny especially after an exchange concerning Hillary Clinton, but it has not been limited just to Clinton. There is a pattern with Matthews making these types of comments with other women.

I must say that the issue with David Shuster of MSNBC really does surprise me. I have been watching him and have been impressed with his ability to more or less stay above the fray. He has done reporting rather than editorializing, even when he would sit in for Tucker or Matthews. His style was more interviewing than showing a bent.

One website says that he was having a bad day all the way around when it began on Morning Joe when Scarborough told him not to interrupt him when he's on the phone, asked Mika to tell David about this [as she did with her Joe's a diva smirk], and then told him to continue with what he was saying.

Now the latest on the Shuster matter is being discussed as a plan/ruse/maneuver by MSNBC to keep Hillary from dropping out of the next scheduled debate it's sponsoring, and her campaign has even mentioned it as a possibility [Check here for more on this speculation.]

Whatever...

We spent eight years of Bill Clinton's presidency with all the innuendos and allegations of misdeeds, one after the other. It got so ridiculous that he was finally impeached for a b***j**! It's continued with his wife. The waterboarders have all of that in their plans and are now salivating at the thought of getting to Obama with drugs and who knows what else.

Bush at least made it clear that his twins were off limits, and that must have been a real letdown to the newspeople because those two were potential Britneys or Paris's. He also made it clear that the kind of crap that he and his supporters used on Clinton would not be tolerated. Now, the way is clear again.

I do feel sorry for David Shuster. He did make a mistake and he seems to realize it and has apologized, but it seems he's going to take the brunt of it for other's idiocy.

oh well, all popularity contests have their winners and their losers...

career choice test...

An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.

Like many young men, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem to concerned about it.

One day, while the boy was away to school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects:

- A bible
- A silver dollar
- A bottle of whisky
- And a Playboy magazine.

"I"ll just hide behind the door," the old preacher said to himself.

"When he comes home from school this afternoon, I'll see which object he picks up.

If it's the bible, he's going to be a preacher like me and what a blessing that would be!

If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a business man, and that would be okay, too.

But if he picks up the bottle. he's going to be a no-good drunkard, and Lord, what a shame that would be.

And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a skirt-chasing bum.

The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's foot-steps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room.

The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table.

With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them

Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm.

He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket.

He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink while he admired this month's centerfold.

"Lord have mercy," the old preacher disgustedly whispered. "He's gonna run for Congress."

weekender...

Eve's side of the story:


After three weeks in the Garden of Eden, God came to visit Eve. "So, how is everything going?"inquired God.

"It is all so beautiful, God," she replied. "The sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, the smells, the sights, everything is wonderful, but I have just one problem.

It is these breasts you have given me. The middle one pushes the other two out and I am constantly knocking them with my arms, catching them on branches and snagging them on bushes. They are a real pain," reported Eve.

And Eve went on to tell God that since many other parts of her body came in pairs, such as her limbs, eyes, ears, etc. ... she felt that having only two breasts might leave her body more "symmetrically balanced," as she put it.

"That is a fair point," replied God, "But it was my first shot at this, you know. I gave the animals six breasts, so I figured that you needed only half of those, but see that you are right. I will fix it up right away."

And God reached down, removed the middle breast and tossed it into the bushes.

Three weeks passed and God once again visited Eve in the Garden of Eden. "Well, Eve, how is my favorite creation?"

"Just fantastic," she replied, "But for one oversight on your part. You see, all the animals are paired off. The ewe has a ram and the cow has her bull. All the animals have a mate except me. I feel so alone."

God thought for a moment and said, "You know, Eve, you are right. How could I have overlooked this? You do need a mate and I will immediately create a man from a part of you. Now let's see.... Where did I put the useless boob?"


Now doesn't THAT make more sense than that story about the rib?

new addition to the blogosphere...

you may have noticed that i included a couple of posts entitled "no comment..." over the last few days: here, here and here. they were merely a picture, a part of a news story, and a quote with no editorializing or commenting from me. it's intentional.

while i was in St. Martin, there were very few TV stations available in the hotel. [i always have noise in the background.] Most were French and they were either dubbed versions of American sitcoms or cop shows, or French versions of American sitcoms or cop shows.

there was only one English-language channel and it impressed me beyond anything you'll find here in the U.S. - Euronews.

what impressed me is that it was pure news with no pundits, no opinions and no angles → straight, unadulterated reporting. it was really very refreshing. if you click on the title link you can go directly to the website.

there was a segment that would be repeated, sometimes with the same content & sometimes not, each day entitled "no comment". there were no voice overs and no, well, comments. it was stark, thought provoking and, at times, chilling.

as a result, i decided to try something similar and, as a result, i did the three posts with the title "no comment...".

i also elected to start a new website using the same idea. i wanted to bring it your attention and let you choose to visit it and see what you think.


the site, of course is called no comment... and you can find it by clicking on the link or with the link in the sidebar item that i call "other things i have to say and muse about..."

if you are inclined to visit it, let me know what you think.

thanks...

m/

so, just how much is a BILLION?

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division .

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken?

a friend sent this to me. i don't know what the source is, but it sure seem accurate to me...

amazing...

St. Martin Airport -

i flew in and out of the St Marteen/Martin airport over the last two weeks. there are always people standing on the beach at the end of the runway when planes land and take off.

it is also one of the scariest airports to fly in and out of in large jets. i did it once in a 747. scared the s*** out of me. i try always to fly in/out on one of the turboprops that fly all around the Caribbean.

if you have never flown in a propjob, you don't know what you're missing. you feel like you're in a real plane, not in a cigartube.

needless to say with the weather here in Chicago lately, i want to go back, even if i did just come back - and with a disasterous 2-day return flight nightmare.

i discovered when i came back that Jasper Johns' winter home was just down the road from where i was staying. i would have loved to visit and talk with him.

maybe next time...


"Map" - 1962 on display at the new exhibit entitled Jasper Johns: Gray currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

my "Super Tuesday"...

At 6:01 CST NBC/MSNBC declared Obama the winner in Georgia -ONE MINUTE after the polls closed!

I listened for 1 more minute to watch MSNBC/NBC show a chart that said that 86% of his vote in Georgia was from African-Americans. They then did a comparison of male/females voting for him. Who needs to watch this kind of dribble. The media has already made up our minds and did so long ago. I'm working over the next two day, so I'll glance through the papers to read the "funnies."

At 6:03 I turned the television to an entertainment channel and watched the reality rerun of The Mummy with Brendan Frasier.

At 8:00 I turned the television completely off and turned the radio on. WFMT-FM is playing a seldom heard opera - Maria Stuarta - by Donizetti that is great. This opera is the second in what is known as the Tudor Trilogy that Donizetti composed. Dame Joan Sutherland at the very end, right before they behead her, sings one single note that begins low and soars. It lasts for 56 seconds! It's not only a difficult feat, it's almost impossible to do if a singer is not classically trained.

i guess you could say that i'm already sick of this whole election s*** and want to return to a somewhat normal existence.

fat chance...

public service announcement on alcohol...

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't. I can't remember what agency this comes from. It's important health information.

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

no comment...

"Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants."

-- Benjamin Franklin

a surprise on the Veyron...

If you've been reading for a while you know that I ❤ the Bugatti Veyron - the $1.5 million auto. I've posted a number of pics and shamelessly said that it makes me moist.

Here is a picture that is not often seen. A picture of it in action instead of sitting there and looking pretty. Note the spoiler that pops up at the back when it's in "fast" mode.



I guess in a car with a W-16 engine that has 1,000 horsepower and can reach 60 mph in less than 4 seconds a spoiler like this would be a safety necessity.

to me, it makes it look even sexier...

i can dream? can't i?

monday morning mayhem...

latex gloves...

Next time you use a pair of rubber gloves, you're going to smile when you think of this:

A dentist noticed that his next patient, a little old lady, was nervous so he decided to tell her a little joke as he put on his gloves.

'Do you know how they make these gloves?' he asked.

'No, I don't,' she replied.

'Well,' he spoofed, 'there's a building in Canada with a big tank of latex and workers of all hand sizes walk up to the tank, dip in their hands, let them dry, then peel off the gloves and throw them into boxes of the right size.'

She didn't crack a smile.

'Oh, well. I tried,' he thought.

But five minutes later, during a delicate portion of the procedure, She burst out laughing.

'What's so funny?' he asked

'I was just envisioning how condoms are made!'


Gotta watch those little old ladies!





their minds are always working...

no comment...

New York Times - February 3, 2008

Nuclear Leaks and Response Tested Obama in Senate

Mr. Obama scolded Exelon and federal regulators for inaction and introduced a bill to require all plant owners to notify state and local authorities immediately of even small leaks. He has boasted of it on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in Iowa in December that it was “the only nuclear legislation that I’ve passed.”

“I just did that last year,” he said, to murmurs of approval.

A close look at the path his legislation took tells a very different story. While he initially fought to advance his bill, even holding up a presidential nomination to try to force a hearing on it, Mr. Obama eventually rewrote it to reflect changes sought by Senate Republicans, Exelon and nuclear regulators. The new bill removed language mandating prompt reporting and simply offered guidance to regulators, whom it charged with addressing the issue of unreported leaks.

the Pope and me...

While I thought that I had nothing more in common with Benedict XVI than being male and having grown up in the Catholic church, I discovered via Michael Sneed's column in today's Chicago Sun-Times that we have, ummm, a similar taste. And it's not bad, trust me.

Pew news . . .

Gulp! Word is Pope Benedict XVI's favorite libation is not wine: it's orange Fanta soda pop.

Yeah, I know it's really not a big deal, but Orange Fanta in Europe is totally different than in the U.S. It's made with real orange juice and not all the artificial crap with which they make it here. It has a totally different taste that is incredible.





The first photo is a can from a French website. The second is from a US website. In the second one, you can clearly see the words Artificially flavored Orange Soda. Not in the first one.

When I'm in France it's about the only thing I drink, non-alcoholic, besides Vittel water.


It's near impossible to buy Vittel in the Chicagoland area. I've even gone to the trouble of contacting Vittel directly to find out where I can buy it. They told me what companies hold the franchise to sell it, but none of them carry it in their stores and no one else can sell it.

jeebus cribes, i love the stuff...

ummm, isn't this kinda, sorta like the FISA problem of retroactive immunity?

I have always been amazed that politicians, when they give back money that allegedly was ill-gotten, think that it absolves them of all blame, wrong-doing and questionable alliances.

The Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday had a front page banner, actually it was the entire page saying, well, read it for yourself:





If you read the story on pages 8-9 - Obama Cuts Rezko Ties, it gives the impression that since he gave $157,835 that is traceable to Tony Rezko to charity everything is all right.

Obama did this with the Hsu affair, as did Senator Clinton. So, he's not alone. They all seem to do it. Once they get caught.

The one part of the story that is interesting is the land purchase deal that Obama did for a piece of land next to his $1.65 million Kenwood, Illinois home for $104,500 from Rezko's wife who bought it originally for $625,000 at the same time Obama bought the house. Then, of course, Rezko raised money for Obama's campaigns also.

Yes, I admit, I am picking on Obama a little bit more than the others, but I also am more familiar with how Chicago politics work. This is nothing more than business as usual, from which Obama has claimed he is above.

I also am enraged by the audacity of the Chicago Sun-Times giving him a clear pat on the back and "job well done" for Obama breaking his ties to Rezko.

He still did it all. How does giving it all back turn into "everything is now all right?"

With that type of thinking, maybe we should give the big telecoms retroactive immunity.

So, again I ask, "ummm, isn't this kinda, sorta like the FISA problem of retroactive immunity?"

Oh, and here is another big question that pops into my head. It's about the full-page Sun-Times banner from the NEXT day's, February 1, 2008, paper:




maybe it isn't a real question...

maybe it's more like WTF?

i hate plastic bags...

I really do hate them. They are more of a nuisance and even more of an environmental problem.

Well, Ireland, the country not me, has come up with the solution and it's working. EACH plastic bag at a store costs 33¢! That's right. Customers are charged 33¢ for every plastic bag used in a store. The change has been so dramatic that use went down 94% in the first year of the tax and it is now considered a social faux pas to be caught with a plastic bag.

The New York Times reported all of this in a story today entitled Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags.

They mentioned that the movement hasn't taken hold very well in the U.S. cities that have tried to do it. Whole Foods, along with other environmentally aware companies, are beginning to charge or refuse to carry them. Actually, Whole Foods here in Chicago, and I assume that it's true in all their stores, actually give customers 15¢ off their bill for each cloth/reusable bag they bring in with them.

I made the switch quite awhile ago and it really is much more sensible and even more practical. [The only problem I have is sometimes I forget to put them back in the car.]

The best part was that the bags originally only cost $1.00! They also hold more and they never tear. They are made of canvas.

Housewives in France long used this type of bag but got away from it over the years because of American influence. Of course, in Europe, they don't shop like Americans.

They don't buy for the week as we do. They buy food as they need it, almost always on a daily basis. It not only is more practical but freshness is assured. Instead of buying a pound of ham, it is sold in packages of 4-6 planches - slices. How many times have you bought an entire pound of ham only to end up throwing some of it away because you forgot there was any left? It went bad. I've done it too many times to remember.

I've taken to shopping twice a week over the last couple of years and found that not only do I not throw bad food out, I'm actually saving money with fresher food.

so, please, start hating plastic bags and buy yourself a few $1 canvas ones.

tax increase, tax increase, tax increase...

Why isn't anyone asking the really simple question of

HOW IN THE HELL IS THE GOVERNMENT GOING TO PAY OFF THE $4-5 TRILLION THAT THE BUSH/CHENEY ADMINISTRATION HAS PUT US INTO DEBT FROM A CLINTON/DEMOCRATIC BALANCED BUDGET WITH A SURPLUS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS?

So?

Why isn't anyone asking that question?

The Republicans won't touch it with a trillion foot pole. Obama, Clinton and Edwards all said that they were going to let the Bush/Cheney tax cuts on the wealthiest expire. That's not a tax increase. That cut is a gift being given to people who don't need a gift.

If you or I, assuming that you don't make over $200,000 as I don't [especially being retired now], need to pay for things we either go into more debt by borrowing more money - Bush/Cheney owe the Bank of China lots of money, get another job to pay for the bills, or spend less.

Of course, we also need to eat, put a roof over our heads, educate our children, insure ourselves and families, etc. You know, all of the "regular" stuff that the rich don't even have to think about; they pay people like us to take care of it for them. Why are you and I paying the full tax rate and they get all the breaks, that are called loopholes? They are more like nooseholes around our necks than loopholes for the wealthy.

And now Tsar George wants to send me a check for $800 to spur on the economy. You know what I'm going to have to do with that check? The same thing you probably will have to do: pay off some of the bills we already owe. It's really only going to help Visa and Mastercard, not you or me.

I know. Why don't we all invade another country? Say, Canada? No, wait. Mexico!

The Republicans all bitch that all of Mexico is living here right now. Instead of deporting them. Why don't we make Mexico the 51st state. That would work. An untapped source of additional taxes because they don't make over $200,000 down there. They would then double the amount of money the IRS collects.

sounds like a plan to me. what do you think?

just asking...

no comment...

Obama's choice healthcare...

I may be on an Obama kick today, but it is time to start ferreting out the real differences between Clinton and him. So far, Obama's been appealing to the change constituency and not the issue group.

So onto his choice healthcare system.

Choice is what we have now and it's causing a major part of the healthcare problem. It's the reason why my payments, and anyone who has chosen to purchase insurance, are so high. We are paying for all those who choose not to get insurance when they go on what the British refer to as the dole.

It also means that those who believe that they don't need health insurance, the young for instance, are not really paying their share of the problems. Yet, when they do need it, they demand the most.

Another argument that people use to fight universal mandatory health insurance [along with the new Nazi reference, that I don't quite seem to be able to understand right now, but forgive me, I've been out of the country for the last week] are the British and French models of what they refer to as socialized medicine.

Yet, any citizen from either of those two countries, or any other with similar programs, would tell you they wouldn't have it any other way. They like knowing that they have the security if they need it. Yes, the government, hence the citizens, is paying for it, but what exactly is the purpose of government? Isn't is, to borrow a phrase, "that government of the people, by the people, for the people,..." is the real point of having a government?

I would also point out that all of my friends on Medicare, though they may bitch from time to time, love not paying anything when they need the care the most and only have to pay a smaller fee for "supplemental" policies that don't cover some specific things with Medicare. They live on fixed incomes and a 3% cost of living increase every January, doesn't help much.

so, to be ridiculous, maybe we should make not only healthcare but also Medicare and Social Security choice type programs?

oh, wait, that's Bush/Cheney/Republican idea. you know, privatizing it... that's another choice initiative. you know, choosing more money for the insurance industries. that's not the same as working with lobbyists for money. that's working with them to let them make more money...




[update @ 3:44 pm: after writing this I later was reading Steve Clemens' over at his site The Washington Note and found that he had something to say about this also - "Note to Barack Obama: Choice is the Problem, Not the Fix in Health Insurance". Check it out. He's much more objective than I am.]

Obama and Iraq...

I realize that Obama consistently says that he was against the war in Iraq from the beginning. He used it again in the debate last night. The problem that I have with it, and also a big unanswered question, is that he was not in the Senate at the time of the original Iraq/War debate in 2003. He was still playing in Illinois.

I don't think that he makes it clear what he would have done if he had been in the Senate back in 2003.

Hindsight is always a great experience, but it never takes into consideration the what if scenario possibility. [yes, i know this last phrase borders on oxymoronic but, in a way, this election is a bit of an oxymoron, if you think about it.]

It's great for Obama to say he was against the war from the beginning, but he was not in the position to make any real decision like Hillary, McCain, etc were at the time.

I wonder if he wouldn't have had a different thinking when there might have been a real say to his words, if he had been a Senator facing the difficult decisions for real.

i mean, i was against the war from the beginning also, but i had no real say in the matter, and i'm really opposed to all war short of extra-ordinary efforts such as a all out invasion a la the movie Independence Day.

i'm still a hippie from the 60's at heart. surprise, surprise, i don't even think the government has the right to kill a person as punishment for their misdeeds...

i'm not just asking, i'm wondering...