The Foothills Opinion Post

And the Ignorance Continues

2008-07-25T12:01:00.002-04:00

Found today on the letters to the editor page of the Hickory Daily Record.

The heading reads "Every voter should view New Yorker cover."

I quote:

"Every voter needs to view the front cover of the latest New Yorker magazine issue (July 21). Barack Obama is in Muslim robes with a turban and wife Michelle is in combat gear.

They fist bump, celebrating the White House victory. A photo of Osama bin Laden in on the wall. The American flag is burning in the fireplace.

This cover should be prominently displayed in your home. Careful thought must be given to having this combo leading our country." unquote.

There are several things that come to mind after reading this, but I shall list only a few here.

This seems to prove the critics of the New Yorker right about the failed attempt at satire
I am amazed someone this ignorant can read,and the New Yorker to boot (Oh, that's right it's just a cartoon with no words)
I am really amazed the paper printed this letter
I am sorry we still have this much stupidity in our society
I am ashamed of southerners this crazy and bigoted
I wonder if this same person believes the political cartoons about McCain
It will be interesting to see what letters of response get printed in the local rag
It is apparent now how Bush managed to get elected twice
I told you the crackers would come out of the woodwork with excuses not to vote for Obama
AAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Is it just me or are we in the middle of an intellectual crisis? Has the country been dumbed down so much by the Bushies that people are just that fucking stupid now? I am beyond flabbergasted at the dumbasses holding forth on non-issues these days. Were they always there and hidden, or has electing a president who speaks like a "special" person emboldened them?

I can understand when someone says they are for or against a candidate based on a compelling issue, a voting record, or even a speech they made. What completely astounds me is someone who would base their political choice on a cartoon. We need to understand that people like this will vote. Therefore it is your duty to go out and recruit an intelligent person to counteract the less than swift who will be buying in to what looney tunes Limbaugh and his crowd are spewing.

We cannot afford to let down our guard ever again in this country if we wish to have fair, intelligent and decent leaders. Do me a favor and get registered to vote if you are not already. Volunteer to take someone to the polls with you. Keep fighting against the insanity all the way to election day and maybe, just maybe this country has a chance at righting itself.

Till next time, don't let the clueless get you down!

Ten Reasons to vote for McCain

2008-07-22T14:56:00.008-04:00

I received an e-mail from my best friend out in Phoenix after Sunday's post and want to publicly acknowledge that in no way was I talking about him. It is true that he is a republican, that he will vote for McCain and that he does not agree with me on how badly our current Decider in Chief has screwed the pooch. I recognize his right to make up his own mind and applaud his doing so.

He is so far from the prejudice and ignorance I made fun of in that post that I'm really wondering why he even took umbrage. I know this man to be kind, fair, and without a prejudiced bone in his body. In fact, I would have to say he is less that way than me.

Make no mistake about it, I know from personal experience there are a lot of well meaning and fair minded republicans out there, somewhere, I think, maybe. Well at least I know for sure there is one and my friend is that person.

So... I thought I might articulate the reasons for voting for McCain, though I just plain don't see em. Here goes.

He is older than me
He's a Viet Vet like me
He has a pretty hot wife and she owns a brewery
He lives in Arizona and I lived there for 20 years
He knows nothing about finance and neither did Bush ( and look how well that turned out)
He'd rather deregulate big business and let the government spy on individuals than the opposite
He believes in eternal war in the middle east
He thinks he's Osama Bin Laden's worst nightmare
He'll do the same kind of bang up job that the last two Bushes did on our economy
He can keep the same cabinet, policies and practices to continue the legacy of ineptitude

OK, so maybe these won't move you to change your mind and vote for McCain. What I'm wondering is why anyone, even my good and smart friend would vote for continuing our disastrous national course. I'm stumped. I guess it goes to show how far apart we are as a society, how divergent are our viewpoints and how dismal our chances of making good on the American dream. Sometimes it seems more of an American fantasy, doesn't it?

While Barack parades about the middle east and Europe, the Fox Faux News Network continues to look for ways to discredit his speeches, actions and priorities. His opponent waits for Barack to take a stand and then either condemns it or overagrees(not a real word) with it, stating Obama has it all wrong or not right enough.

The fervent supporters of Obama hang on every word and tout his demi-godlyhood even as his detractors describe him as a cross between the anti-christ and Osama Bin Laden. Fox Faux News morons continue to emphasize his middle name in the hope of influencing the very ignorant to vote against him on that alone. (And why shouldn't they, that is after all their dominant audience)

Let's face it folks, if you have just a smidgen of wit you have to catch on to the spin and propaganda that passes for news these days. Fox may be the worst of the bunch, but the major networks have slipped into punditry, prevarication and presposterousness (yes, I know this isn't a word, yet) on many occasions. It has gotten to the point where most organizations don't realize how far from hard news they have strayed.

I impatiently await the end of the Bush term, the election and the chance to oust as many republicans as possible from power. I know the Dems can be just as bad in other ways, but truthfully, I prefer the other ways and the hope of some good things eventually coming out of this really awful period in our country's history.

I am not ashamed to be an American, but I am ashamed of our government's conduct. And from this I am ashamed of us as a people, because we are responsible for the crooks and liars we elect. Let's get a better and different bunch this time, shall we. I for one am ready to complain about oval office sex, cum stains and sleazy interns. While I thought Clinton besmirched to the office of the president, I still believe his judgement was and is far superior to that of little Georgie Bush. Clinton's faults were petty and sexual; Georges have been colossal and geo-political.

We do not have a perfect system of government and in the past few years not a very competent one either, yet we have to allow for some form of organization and control. With that comes power, the power to do good or as we have seen from the last 7 years, the power to do immense and irreversible wrong.

I ask that you think about that when you go to the ballot box this November. Would you rather engage those countries that oppose us and seek the middle ground or continue down the path of fruitless imperialism and out-dated militarism that exists today. While we will always have enemies throughout this world, the test is what we do about it, not how bad they are.

There is certainly a time to fight. The key is knowing when and how. How many people believe the Neo-cons had a clue? Wouldn't it be nice to have some level of intellect and competency back in the white house?

Till Next time, Don't take offense my friend, it ain't all about you!

Ten Reasons to Hate Barack Obama

2008-07-20T11:16:00.004-04:00

This is dedicated to all the bigots, hold backs, hold overs and generally ignorant folk who just can't see themselves voting for a black man and need more reasons to justify their choice. Here's a list for you to refer to when telling others you would rather vote for McSame and the continuance of the Bush policies, corruption and ruination of our country.

He's too Black
He's not Black enough
He's a closet Muslim
He attended a fanatical Christian church
He didn't support the war in Iraq
He secretly supported the war in Iraq
He will pull us out of Iraq too soon
He won't pull us out of Iraq soon enough
He's too smart and too articulate
After 400 years we still need a little more time in this country to adjust to idea of being lead by a black person

I'm sure the plethora of ignorant crackers out there can come up with many more outrageously bogus reasons for not doing the right thing. I find myself unable to relate to these folks. I am put off by Limbaugh's ditto heads, Rovenites, ultra right wing conservatives, the military industrial complex (more powerful now than any time since WWII), so-called Neo-Con imperialists and the rest of the crowd that has taken over the territory inside the beltway and in many state's statehouses. Of course let's not forget the Dem's in office who have totally dropped the ball during the BushCo reign of terror.

If you are in need of a good laugh you can tune in to Fox News (after some cautionary inoculations) and listen to Insanity and Homes, Shill O' Frighty, and Snarl Rave.

The politics of fear will be used and used some more in the next few months. The Asshats will keep pitching till they find something that works. I will do my best to ignore the obstinate farts and worry about little things like putting food on the table, getting a job, paying my bills and enjoying life to the best of my ability. No doubt the forces of evil are depending on most folks doing the same and getting their opinions fed to them by the likes of Limbaugh and O'Riley. How sad, but true.

Till Next Time, Make up your own mind!

Just go away already!

2008-07-16T08:32:00.004-04:00

As the Bush administration flogs its way to an ignominious end, the final flailings of the failed and corrupt BushCo are getting more desperate and more dangerous.

Recently the Decidinator has decided that having oil rigs offshore is a good idea. For who and for how long and for how much good is of course in question. The Ravenous Rovenites are looking for ways to pin the gas crunch on the Dems and having some success in the form of robo-calls from Freedom Watch in New Jersey. The linked post details how the Dems are fighting back.

Going beyond previous insults to our citizens and our society the Bush Administration forced the EPA to devalue human life (I kid you not) in order to gut the regulation of Green House gases. According to most republicans it's always the regulators and regulations that are holding us back and causing problems, never the polluters, crooks or greedy bastards that soak the taxpayers for billions.

Saber rattling in the direction of Iran continues, with no rational, logical or sensible strategy to engage or talk with the admittedly wacky Iranian president in the works, but multiple scenarios of military intervention being floated on a daily basis.

The Federal government finds itself forced to bail out the largest mortgage banks as the housing market continues to tank, while the Fed chairman warns of inflation and quotes statistics not seen since the 1980s.

Some Asshat from Minnesota has a billboard up in Florida which insinuates Democrats either caused 9/11 or will be soft on Terrorism, or will cause another 9/11. This idiot also has a CD with his little song and sells it for $5. That's true republican capitalism there my friend.

Where's the good news you ask? Only this; there are 187 days left of the Bush presidency. That at least makes me very happy indeed.

Till next time, hang in there!

Something to think about

2008-07-12T17:12:00.002-04:00

I wish you could find this kind of protest on the local level. I found this clip at Crooks and Liars.

Till next time, don't turn loose of your freedom.

This about says it all

2008-07-08T13:43:00.005-04:00

A commentary from the Onion on the Bush Presidency

Not really much more to say is there?

Till next time, count the days remaining

The 4th of July 2008

2008-07-05T12:10:00.003-04:00

Like most Americans we celebrated Independence Day with good food, very American entertainment and of course an awesome fireworks display.

My wife and I grilled steaks in the afternoon. Later we headed to the local ballpark to watch our home team, The Hickory Crawdads, defeat the Columbus Catfish. (No, I am not making these names up) Both teams are farm teams for major league organizations and the baseball can be pretty good at times. Surprisingly our team won this year. (the first time in three years of our annual 4th of July attendance). We beat the Catfish 8 to 4 and didn't even have to bat in the 9th.

Of great interest to me was our "closer" who exhibited a 91 mph fast ball. His control was sketchy, but man could he chunk that rock. As usual our team had some fielding difficulties and that gave the Catfish a couple of runs they didn't earn. The big difference this year was our guys were getting hits. In the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded our first baseman hit a double to the left field gap that scored two runs and thoroughly disheartened their opponents. It was nice to see them having the conferences on the mound and not our team.

Our team mascot, Conrad the Crawdad (I kid you not) had a female counterpart this year. Her name was Candy the Crawdad. I even flirted with her a bit when she passed our seats. I also remarked to the couple next to us that whoever thought up a Crawdad as a mascot must have been doing LSD, but that's another story.

During the game we munched on peanuts and the best lemonade ever made. (fresh hand squeezed before your very eyes) Around the 8th inning my wife came back with a funnel cake and we wolfed that down as well.

Within ten minutes of the game's end the fireworks started and this year's were really something special. The outfit that does them had acquired some new new toys and tried all of them out during the show. That included some sort of moving machine gun fireworks launcher that shot low level rockets in an arch across the sky. Very, very cool. They also had some really brilliant and different colored pastel higher level displays. In addition this year's show had several displays with the most intense concussion shots I've ever heard. They shook the stadium with their power.

The combination of new displays, intense powerful shots and wonderful timing and musical choreography made for an impressive show. Hickory's Fourth of July ballgame and fireworks are a great example of Americana and small town American spirit. The one and only downside is the wait to get out to the parking lot after the show.

This year I remained patient, then took an opening with some other cars to 4-wheel out of the adjacent parking lot and go away from the traffic. By taking the circuitous route we saved 30-60 minutes of waiting time. The game had over 5,000 in attendance and there were that many or more at the big church parking lot next door. Getting 10,000 plus out of the one and only way in can take two or more hours.

It did seem pretty stupid for folks to start up their cars, then sit in the parking lot with them idling for an hour or more. We did the opposite. We listened to the radio with the engine off, then took our shot when we saw an opening and got the heck out of dodge. I patted myself on the back for taking the Suv to the game. (I had the thought we might have to do a little off roading at some point)

To paraphrase the great rural philosopher Larry the Cable Guy, I don't care what you think, that right there is American. I hope your 4th was as much fun as ours.

Till next time, Celebrate our Independence!

Maybe this is what's wrong?

2008-06-20T10:45:00.007-04:00

Like a lot of other people I've been mystified that a whole nation (the United States of America) could stand by and blithely watch a president and his administration misuse their power, abuse the constitution and mismanage the largest government budget ever in our history.

I often wonder what people are thinking. Like Lewis Black when he refers to our modern day robber barons at Enron et al, I wonder why we haven't risen up as a people and threw them all out of office and maybe hanged a few. (After a fair trial of course)

I believe I found the answer to this most perplexing and terribly vexing problem today in our local paper. On the front page (yes Martha the very front page), in the bottom right hand corner is the following story.

"Corduroy banned at N-C middle school." Dear reader I wish it were a joke, or a misprint or anything other than a factual report. (Isn't it just like the media to report the ridiculous so precisely) It is I am both ashamed and flabbergasted to say, the truth and nothing but the truth. It's no wonder we can't be bothered with massive federal corruption when our local schools are being overrun by CORDUROY!

It seems the principal at Newton-Conover Middle School feels corduroy has some subversive tendencies of which we were unaware. He states: "Corduroy has more instances of ripping and tearing and therefore has more issues with not meeting the standards set by the dress code." I kid you not, this is the kind of thing occupying the minds of our educators. Is it any wonder then that trivial matters such as war, corruption, hunger, energy conservation, the environment and many other less weighty matters necessarily take a backseat to the heady issue of Corduroy?

AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

In addition these students in this school are told they can only wear the colors white, red or royal or navy blue in shirts and tan, black or navy in shorts, slacks or skirts/skorts. REALLY? Are we breeding a bunch of clones or people who follow stupid rules for any unknown reason?

If our country is at the point where we are biased against colors; you know like rust, green, yellow, brown or any of the many other subversive tints, we are in a world of hurt. It is no wonder the masses can be fooled by the government when they will allow them to tell kids what color of clothes to wear. Don't get me wrong; I've seen the jeans to the butt look and all the other dippy looking hip-hop wear, and I know there should be some minimal standards. But don't you think a ban on Corduroy and colors is just plain crazy?

OK, that's more than I think the story is worth, except as a partial explanation as to how we allowed our country to get to where it is right now. Any populace willing to be dictated to in minute detail is already psychologically prepared to believe the big lies after being brought up to believe the little ones. (Like Corduroy is bad and blue jeans (yes properly worn) are not proper wear for a school kid.

BushCo's fascism has extended far beyond the beltway and into the homes of innocent young schoolkids. It scares an old dude like me sometimes.

Till next time, Live in Color!

Why haven't we put the schmuck in jail?

2008-06-17T21:59:00.002-04:00

Of course you know I'm talking about Bush. As I watched Jon Stewart interview one of the fired federal attorneys my blood boiled once again at the thought of the misuse and abuse of power by this president and his flunkies.

It seems they wanted some individuals prosecuted on voter fraud charges and the evidence did not support indicting them. When the attorney told his bosses he couldn't prosecute he was fired. In something of a coincidence, he was fired on December 7th and told to have a Merry Christmas. All because he followed the law rather than the corrupt administration.

I still contend that Bush oversees the most corrupt administration in the last 50 years.

Why isn't this schmuck in jail?

Till Next Time, Stay mad and get in the fight!

Thank Goodness that's over!

2008-06-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Will you join me in a moment of silence for the recently departed Democratic primary. It had been around so long it felt like a member of the family. You know the kind I mean, one of those uncles that drinks too much and can't keep a job. Or maybe the cousin with 4 ex-wives who is constantly trying to outrun the child support and alimony payments.

I watched Hillary reluctantly turn loose of her chance at the white house and Barack step up to being the nominee. (yes, I know it won't be official till the convention)

As has been the practice here at the Opinion Post I will give you the delegate count one last time. These are the real numbers which can be checked at the Washington Post site. Barack Obama has 2190 delegates which puts him over the needed 2118 by 72 delegates. Hillary ended up with a very respectable 1914 delegates, just 104 shy of the magic number. I believe we Dems should take note of that.

It has been apparent that the party was significantly split over which candidate was most electable and which candidate they preferred. The time for that infighting is over. It is up to Obama's people and the candidate himself to quickly unite our party and get on with the task of retaking the white house. Anything else would be grossly irresponsible.

Once we apply our considerable intellect, skills and energy to unmasking the McCain presidential bid for what it is, a third Bush term, then the campaign will be well under way. If I were advising Obama (and in a sense I am through this blog), I would remind him to not let up on the key issues and to refine and expand on his platform, policies and agenda.

Sadly, the economy seems to have overtaken Iraq as the number one issue with voters. No doubt it's hard for folks without jobs and houses to concern themselves with events half a world away, when their very survival is at stake. What is disappointing about this is that Iraq may be the major factor that has effected our economy. It just isn't possible to spend trillions of dollars on war and not have very negative domestic consequences. It would be different if the war was necessary or even useful, but this particular administration has found the ability to waste trillions of dollars with very little to show for it.

So our candidate must focus the electorate's attention on our disastrous foreign policy, our ignorant domestic policy and cause the voters to feel some righteous indignation at what Bushco has perpetrated. I am hopeful he will do just that.

In addition to communicating the issues forcefully, Mr. Obama needs a quality running mate. I still think John Edwards has been holding out for the job, but I could be wrong. The important point here is that he make a thoughtful and politically astute selection and get to campaigning.

The nastiness that is the republican PR machine is just getting wound up. Prepare yourself for vicious and bogus character attacks, gross misrepresentations of policy and of course Fox faux news will parse every word Obama and his running mate utter.

It won't matter that John McCain can't keep his countries straight, or that he is in favor of a limitless occupation of Iraq. He'll just be the candidate the so-called conservatives want running the Bush third term. Let's not forget that in the coming months. No matter how likable, humble or just down to earthy home boyish John pretends to be, he is the carrier of a very destructive disease. That malady is the craziness spawned in this current administration that thinks all problems are military ones and that gunboat diplomacy works against movements and vast linkages of people the way it worked against countries and their armies in the 20th century.

If only that were the case we'd all be pumping $1.50 a gallon gasoline, buying our second home in the country and not worrying about our boys and girls in harm's way in the middle east.

Oh, there are some folks who have done very well indeed during this last 7 years. You can find their names in the Forbes 500. This group currently in power has been a boon to the already wealthy and powerful, but let's face it, they've been a disaster for the working man and woman.

OK, I'm back from St Louis and ready to rumble.

Till Next Time, Pick a side and get in the Fight!

Why can't we?

2008-05-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

Why can't we find a way to replace oil with something else to fuel our economy?

Where are all the smart scientists and engineers that we need working on this problem?

Why hasn't this country looked to Europe and the rest of the world for examples on using public transportion?

Where is the push from our leaders to do something today as well as institute forward planning to implement a long term solution to this growing (and well documented) problem?

What is so hard about telling people the truth? Maybe you say something like this.

Our country's economy is based on petroleum. It is a finite resource. The rest of the world is completing with us for what is left. If we figure out a way to use something else, like hydrogen, bio-fuel, or whatever, and make it work, we will be way ahead of the rest of the world.

With the resurgence of Europe's economy, the strength of the Euro and the continued growth of China and the rest of Asia, we will continue to find there is too little oil at too high a price. So when do we wise up?

I'll be out of town for a week starting this coming Sunday. I thought I'd leave you with these questions to contemplate.

Till Next Time, Question Everything!

This Vet’s Memorial Day Memories

2008-05-26T06:00:00.008-04:00

I don’t come from what would be considered a military family, yet my father and I both served this country in distant lands. My Dad was a cook in the Army Air Corps (Later the Air Force) and I was an avionics/photo tech in the Marine Corps Air Wing.

Dad’s tour of duty lasted from 1941 to 1945. Most of it was overseas. After training to be a cook at Craig Air Force base in Selma, Alabama he was put on a ship to India. During this voyage he worked in the ship’s galley and helped prepare three meals a day for 5000 troops. He never spoke about battles, wounded or anything really warlike when recounting his time in the service; instead he would talk about the huge kettles on the ship used to make mashed potatoes. He told me how they made bread every day for the troops and the massive ovens used to bake the loaves. He came back home in one piece and married my Mom and that was the end of that. However the war affected him was never told to me or to my Mom as far as I know.

Part of that is generational I believe. His has been called the "greatest generation" because of the task they undertook and achieved. Literally saving the planet from global tyranny and subjugation is no small accomplishment. So these guys knew they had a job to do and just went out and did it. Period! We all have a lot to thank their generation for and most of us my age do that.

I wonder about some of the others though. Do my kids and grandkids understand that the only reason they enjoy the freedoms they have today is due to the tremendous sacrifices made by an entire generation of the world’s population. It may be too big an idea for them to believe. Certainly in their lifetimes' there have been no similar examples of sacrifice and cooperation on a worldwide scale.

Today wouldn’t be a bad day to remind them that their grandparents payed a heavy price for their current well being. That’s the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. Please use this day to give thanks and honor those who have made and continue to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our country and our way of life.

Unlike my father, I went into the Marines without a clear understanding of what or who I would be fighting. I joined in 1967, right out of high school with two high school friends, Russel and Buddy. We went through boot camp at Paris Island, SC and then to Camp Lejeune for infantry training. After that we were separated. I went on to technical schools for several months and they went into stateside units and then to Viet Nam. Both served with distinction while in country and one of them was awarded the Bronze star.

I ran in to Buddy in Da Nang at the Freedom Hill USO when I first got to Nam. He had changed radically from the pudgy, jolly friend with whom I went to high school. At least he was alive, and that was miraculous. He had taken an AK round through his steel pot helmet. The bullet circled around outside the plastic inner liner and exited the rear of the outer helmet without touching his head. Of course it knocked him on his ass and gave him a hell of a headache, but he stayed alive. In Viet Nam that was the name of the game; stay alive and make it back home. We were without the motivation of our father’s generation. And once in country, many wondered what we were doing there at all.

Now people my age have sons, daughters, nephews and nieces in harm’s way again, in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. You and they should know two very important things.

1: We honor and respect the service and sacrifice you are giving and making. While many of us oppose the current effort in Iraq as wasteful and wrong-headed, we do not oppose you. We know you are serving your country, even when your country’s leaders are wrong. Stay strong, come home alive and we will help you adjust to civilian life.

2: Learn from what you are seeing and experiencing as soldiers and civilians. Understand that this is what happens to a country, an army, and an electorate when we fail to pay attention to what our leaders are doing. We all bear the burden of this country’s actions. It’s not just the leaders, the military or the greedy industrialists who have gotten us where we are. We, the citizens of America, have allowed this to happen and only we can correct it.

On this day when we take the time to honor our fallen soldiers; let’s take time to honor our fallen country as well. The United States of America has lived through many trials in its brief history. This current push to militarism and intolerance is but one of many stumbling blocks put in the path of our mutual success as a people, a culture and a country. Take a minute today to say thanks to all who have allowed us this moment to contemplate our future and have a hand in deciding our destiny.

Till Next Time, Remember those who have sacrificed so much!

The Endless Democratic Prmary Summer Part 46

2008-05-24T11:12:00.006-04:00

OK, OK..... I'm not sure if this is part 46 or 56 or even 106. I just know it's part "way more than it should be." I took the time before posting to familiarize myself with the real delegate numbers. They can be found at the Washington Post site that has been up from the start.

Barack Obama has 1970 delegates. Hillary Clinton has 1779 delegates. The amount needed has been bumped by 1 delegate for some reason to 2026. (up from 2025 that was the number the last time I checked)

Whatever the reason; Barack needs 56 delegates to win the nomination and Hillary needs 247 delegates. There are 250 delegates up for grabs in the 4 remaining states. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Mrs. Clinton would have to get all but 3 delegates in the remaining primaries. It does not seem likely.

I have heard that Michigan and Florida will be brought back in to the picture somehow and this might be to her advantage. Let's hope our Dems don't allow this to get too crazy.

It would be nice if Hillary would implement a healing and effective exit strategy. I would like to see the party get its act together and start campaigning for the white house in a serious manner. Yes, it is a lot to wish for and yes, I know better. Be generous with me and let me keep the fantasy over the Memorial Day weekend, will ya?

In spite of knowing better, I watched the political pundits on PBS ponder, prevaricate and posture on the coming election. I came away wondering why I had watched it.

The know-it-alls were busy talking strategy, talking points and funding. The most pompous pundit posited that Barack must stay away from the experience issue and McCain must stay away from the McSame issue. WOW..... Thanks for the insight.

When and if experience comes up in a serious context, I hope that Obama will point out that George Bush's cabinet was full to the brim of so-called experienced members. They turned out to be colossal incompetents and failures. Does anyone who has listened to Obama speak not get that he is thoughtful and intelligent? Are they clueless to his vision of a very different way of doing things?

Perhaps McCain and Obama will hold as many as three televised debates. How about a domestic policies debate? Then a foreign policy debate. Then one on the future of our country and the world. Let's hear from the candidates on their vision for America.

If Hillary will stop before she becomes an embarrassment to herself and her party; (by the end of the primaries seems appropriate) then we can get on with picking Veeps and fighting it out with the republicans for the future welfare of our country.

Till Next time, Get in the fight!

America A to Z - the letter "D"

2008-05-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

Editorial Note: I start back to work today and this may be my last post for a while. I will be busy learning some new things, training and re-training in some others and even spending a week in a distant city in school.

That being said, I wanted this post to be in a positive vein, as it shall stand alone for a time before I’m able to post again.

So in today’s America A to Z we’ll being dealing with the letter ‘D". I chose democracy for this letter.

Democracy:

Middle French democratie, from Late Latin democratia, from Greek dēmokratia, from dēmos + -kratia -cracy

Date: 1576

1 a: government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

2: a political unit that has a democratic government

3capitalized : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the United States

4: the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority

5: the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

Though I have asked the question if our democracy is an illusion in a previous post, I believe we do indeed have a democratic government. By that definition we are indeed a democracy. And just because things have gotten crazy in the last few years, it does not condemn our form of government.

The concept and theory of democracy is a great thing. It allows for government to hear the voice of its constituents and at some point be answerable to the electorate. That is the strength of democracy, the point where government is directed by the will of the people for the betterment of the majority of the people.

We have strayed from one side to the other in our quest to perfect our democracy. We now find ourselves in a period where our government has become secretive and unresponsive to the electorate. That is destined to change. We have also been governed by politicians who seemed slaves to minority interests and so-called populace causes. These folks were voted out of office as well.

The most redeeming quality of our (America’s) democracy is its ability to handle the change of power from one group of individuals to another; especially when these groups are in opposition to one another on substantial issues of policy and governance. We will be witnessing such an event this November I pray, when we once again will have the opportunity to have our say in the course our national leaders take.

If you ever get to thinking there’s a better way, you may be right. We just haven’t found it yet. This system, our democratic form of government, is still in its infancy. Momentous accomplishments, both good and bad, have come out of this country. There lies before us a future filled with promise and challenge. I believe our government, backed by an informed electorate, has as good a chance as any of performing better with each election cycle.

It’s up to us, the people, to live up to our responsibility as citizens of our democracy, and vote. We are duty bound to inform ourselves on the relevant issues, pick a candidate, position or issue that we feel strongly about and get involved. If we do not, we allow choices to be made for us by activists and fanatics from both sides.

Democracy is a vital and important part of our country’s heritage and future. Our democracy will ultimately be what we take the time, energy and intelligence to make of it.

I am hopeful we will do well.

Till Next Time, Be Thankful You Live In a Democracy!

Don't watch Rendition

2008-05-16T00:36:00.000-04:00

Don't want the movie Rendition if you have any feelings for our constitution. Don't watch it if the idea of a paranoid, fascist police state alive and well in our own country troubles you. Don't watch this cinematic drama if you think there are complex reasons for terrorism, torture, losing our civil rights, our disastrous foreign policy and the general malaise that has infected our political thinking.

This movie will make you wonder what the heck your country thinks it's doing and why. The plot doesn't preach, there's very little geo-political speechifying and no one saying what's wrong and what's right. No, just a personal look at peoples' lives as they're caught up in events beyond their control.

As I watched this flick I couldn't help but wonder why we would want to be in some of these places. In order to have a presence in the middle east we have aligned ourselves with governments and organizations that have nothing in common with what we believe our country is about. We have done this in order to fight terrorism; with acts clearly illegal and acts that clearly hurt the innocent.

It made me sad to be confronted with this one instance of one innocent person's plight, knowing that the real number of illegal acts by our government is unknown.

I watched a clip of George Bush telling an interviewer that he had given up golf during the Iraq war out of respect for the troops. How about a little respect for our constitution and the rule of law. You know, like the law he used to get elected in 2000. Like the laws he ignored to tap our phone lines and look at our E-mails. How about some respect for the soldiers sent on multiple tours and forced to stay in the service past their release dates.

How about a little respect for the little people in this country and not sucking up to his rich buddies with tax breaks, military contracts, and loosening irritating federal regulations. Will this guy ever get out of my sight, off my TEE VEE set, off the front page and back to Crawford?

Till Next Time, Watch what you government's up to!

Rocking Chair Philosophy

2008-05-14T00:02:00.007-04:00

My friend in Phoenix sent me this video the other day. He's a republican, but even he is starting to doubt his party's president. I'm thinking he's been doubting for a while and just sends me republican crap to wind me up. This is a little different. See what you think.

Well, how does it sound to you?

Remember; we went to war because of terrorism, right? Except of course we invaded the wrong country, killed a bunch of the wrong people, and messed up our economy in the process. Oops.

Aren't we special? Bless our little hearts.

Liberal Media? Not Hardly

2008-05-09T08:11:00.004-04:00

How many times have you heard righties complain about the leftist liberal media? It's sounds like a broken record, yet like George Bush Jr on the campaign trail in 2000 and 2004, they have stayed on message for years now. The result has been a capitulation by the media and the public to the fraud of media leftiness. If it exists, where is it?

Our so-called independent media has been as big a failure during the BushCo reign of infamy as BushCo itself. They have not only failed to be unbiased and critical observers of the War in Iraq and attendant issues, but have been complicit in helping the administration perpetrate what amounts to treason and fraud. The fifth estate has become little more than a fifth wheel, just along for the ride, being towed by the gargantuan diesel fume belching BS machine of the BushCo extra cab 4 x 4. (token RV metaphor in honor of our gas crisis)

And these are the alleged legitimate Networks and Newspapers. I do not count the multitude of Murdoch owned stations and publications and certainly not the oxymoron Fox news. At some point people will either have to wise up to being propagandized 24/7 or remain misinformed and ignorant. How thinking adults are able to watch that garbage and not pick up on what's going on eludes me.

The cable networks have, as I have heard it referred to recently, jumped the shark, time and again. Witness the recent Reverend Wright orgy of inanity. Or how about some serious discussion on patriotism and flag pins? Sad isn't it?

So it should not come as a shock that even those who shun the known republican/neocon authored media have fallen prey to the other media vendors who had a reputation of more critical and fair minded reporting. Revelations appear daily about media complicity, laziness and ineffectiveness. The result has been a loss of trust by the public for what they find printed in their daily newspapers and for what they see broadcast on the network's nightly news shows.

It's almost as if our government and the media were one big propaganda machine churning out pap and spoon feeding it to the unwary masses. That would explain how we let ourselves get where we are, wouldn't it?

Read this article at TruthOut and listen to video below. If you haven't noticed how lame and ineffective our reporters, newspapers, commentators, and the media in general have become, this should open your eyes. The gist of the video is that the head of CNN went to the Pentagon and asked them who he should use as military analysts; not considering they might be stacking the deck.

Where are the cynics when you need them?

Till Next Time, Don't you Believe It!

Our Opponent in November

2008-05-08T10:30:00.014-04:00

Just for a minute, let's forget about the Democratic primary and focus on the opposition. I think some amount of forward planning is called for and I am frankly worried at how cocky some Democratic pundits are about the election. So many have been saying that whoever is the Dem's candidate will mop the floor with McCain. I wish it were so. But I think not.

John McCain is 71 years old and still vigorous and active. In spite of war wounds and brutalities suffered in years in a Vietnamese prison camp he clearly has the stamina to campaign to win his party's nomination. Let's give the guy some credit where credit is due. Nothing could be worse for our party than to underestimate the republican candidate. You know what I mean, like we did in 2000 and 2004.

I have included a video below that shows McCain on the Daily Show being interviewed by Jon Stewart. He (McCain) can be very personable, humble and approachable, in spite of his reputation as being hard nosed and grumpy. People will see him in at least two very disparate ways.

One way, from the issues point of view, will remind folks that a McCain presidency will continue the war in Iraq indefinitely and keep the war hungry Neocons in power. For these folks the issue will be clear. I hope you find yourself among them.

The other way (yes there will be millions of views, I'm just giving the two most likely) is that McCain will be seen as a venerated War veteran, a wise elder, and someone to keep the good parts of conservatism (what they are confounds me) without the idiocy of Bush. These folks scare the hell out of me. Because they are living in denial. These are our fellow citizens who for reasons unknown to me think everything is just hunky dory.

These poor blind citizens of our republic believe what we're doing in Iraq is a good thing. They are comfortable with the warlike posture our country maintains and don't care about the loss of their civil rights and privacy. They are able to ignore the blatant greed and thievery of BuchCo's buddies. To them, massive war profits, the weakening of our regulatory agency's powers to abet the corruption, and the outright lies used to perpetuate our foreign policy, are all part and parcel of good conservative politics.

These people dear reader are the ones we need to wake up and get on our side. They have been and will be swayed by the politics of fear, prejudice and pandering. If Rove and Bush were successful in fooling them once, then it is not unreasonable to think they might do it again.

Inform yourself about what a McCain presidency will mean. Glenn Greenwald has a great article on Neocon fabrications as well as a good link to an interesting peek into what McCain thinks of presidential powers. Food for thought and ammunition when you have the chance to change a mind or make a convert.

And let's not forget to aid the Democratic candidate (whom we shall eventually choose) in fighting for the white house. We must continue to remind the public of BushCo's criminal and negligent administration of our country. In spite of McCain's pledge last night to run an honorable campaign, I am cynical of that actually happening. We will see what strategy they employ to discredit our candidate and promote theirs.

Till Next Time, Keep Fighting!

New Democratic Math

2008-05-07T13:52:00.009-04:00

OK sports fans, here is the latest count on delegates and dough. Oh, you didn't think that Hillary and Barack were doing this on the cheap did you? No, no, no...they've been spending big bucks, though from the reserves it looks like Hillary has spent less and has less than Barack. I will give you the highlights and you are welcome follow the links for more detail.

DELEGATES
As of this minute Barack Obama has 1840 Delegates of which 246 are super delegates. The number of super delegates becomes significant if a move is made to switch from one candidate to the other. He needs 185 delegates to get the nomination. (required total is 2025)

Hillary Clinton has 1684 Delegates of which 271 are super delegates. She needs 341 delegates to win the nomination.

Two things are of interest to me in this last round of primaries. Obama's margin of victory in North Carolina was 14%, which gave him 27 more delegates than Hillary for the state. (remember we Dems abhor the winner take all scenario so the delegates are split) Hillary's margin of Victory in Indiana was just 2% which only gave her 3 more delegates than Barack. So in this Tuesday's primaries Barack increased his lead over Hillary by 24 Delegates. She is actually worse off now than after the last primary, at least mathematically.

DOUGH
Here's where it really looks interesting if the numbers on opensecrets.org are good. Obama has over $51,000,000 on hand with a debt of only $663,000. It looks like he is great shape for the moment, though if you read some here you'll learn it's expected to take $500,000,000 to run for president this year. Seems like an awful waste of money doesn't it?

Hillary's financial picture looks somewhat different. She has just under $32,000,000 on hand but owes $15,321,000. Not much of a pay as you go sort of campaigner is she?

Now I know you're going to hear a bunch of calculations and theories and outright ridiculous guesses if you spend any time watching the perjurious pundits on the TEE VEE, but try to ignore the blathering. It is still possible for either contender to achieve the magic number of delegates and with that magic number will come a flood of new funding for the November battle. So while it might look that Hillary has a longer road to go, and she does; bear in mind it is doable.

Like McCain, who will turn out to be a much better opponent than the current thinking believes, Hillary (& Bill) are fierce competitors. Having won the white house once, neither is likely to go down without a fight. Lets just hope that whoever is left standing is up to the task of winning the presidency and undoing the colossal foul ups of BushCo.

Till Next Time, Thanks for Voting!

Solutions Saturday

2008-04-19T00:14:00.011-04:00

Today’s problem: What do you do if the country’s most endangered river flows within a few hundred feet of your home?

I’ll get to the solution shortly; but first some background is in order. We live in Hickory, NC in a neighborhood along Lake Hickory. Our lake is actually a wide spot in the Catawba river between the Rhodhiss dam on the western end and the Oxford dam on the Eastern end.

During our first summer here we owned a boat and spent time on the lake after our long days of remodeling. We enjoyed a meal, some fishing and a comfy cruise up the lake on many evenings. We love the water, like our lakeside community (though we live far enough off the water to not be bothered too much by boat noise) and want to keep it healthy and vital.

When it was announced on Thursday that the Catawba River (our Lake Hickory) is the most endangered river in the country I was alarmed but not totally surprised. I had already written a post concerning the state approved water transfer that will go before the Supreme Court on appeal. In it I condemned the cities involved and their business backers; notably NASCAR and the Tourism industry.

One of the problems here is that the economy is sooo… depressed that folks are loathe to say anything about any business that can provide jobs. So the environment has taken a backseat for a long time. My wife’s new boss is a native of our town and refers to Lake Hickory as "Poo Lake." She states she wouldn’t think of swimming in it after what was found to have been dumped into the lake for decades.

I think it’s been cleaned up since then. I hope so for the citizens across the bridge from me who get their drinking water from the lake. The lake also provides electricity from the dams at either end as well as recreation for hundreds, perhaps thousands of fishermen, skiers, and pleasure cruisers. It certainly deserves better treatment that it currently is getting. The Catawba RiverKeeper foundation is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and hopefully it will play a pivotal role in protecting our precious resource.

So what do you do if the country’s #1 most endangered river runs within a few hundred feet of your home?

1) You get mad
2) You get involved
3) If you have a blog you write about it
4) You join other people who care as you do about the river in some event or action

5) You don’t take your eye off the ball
6) You contact your congressman and senator and ask "WTF" are you going to do about this
7) You walk down to the lake as often as you can and enjoy something that most folks can only dream about; life in a small town with a namesake lake

Till Next Time, Keep searching for Solutions

The Democratic Party I thought I belonged to

2008-04-17T00:06:00.023-04:00

I don’t know if I’m feeling sad due to my friend's E-mail or because the party I have called mine since John Kennedy’s assassination bears little resemblance to its past self.

I have been involved in an inter-blog squabble with whoever the hell the authors are at another site over their Democratic creds. A friend and mentor of mine took a look at their site and thinks they might be for real. Ouch…I am still unconvinced of their legitimate Democratic status, yet my friend’s opinion and insight have brought up a subject that I believe is very important.

He said they might be legitimately concerned with "the cult of personality" that is supposedly pushing Obama’s presidential bid and that a healthy fear of that is not irrational. Yea, I guess if you were just voting for the guy cause you liked his smile, wife, some video clips and stuff. Wait, isn’t that how we got Bush?

OK, so maybe there is something troubling about voting for any candidate solely on their Charisma quotient. I have written previous posts and quoted much more widely read Bloggers about the real issues that need to be addressed. There is a slim chance we’ll see the media focus on real issues and not fluff and spin prior to November, but so far they seem incapable of doing so.

That’s what got me thinking about "the Cult of Personality." Isn’t that the end result of media driven political campaigning and the reality of American political culture? Haven't we gotten to this point through our own devices? Glenn Greenwald discusses the hijacking of political discourse by the republicans in his new book "Great American Hypocrites." His blog has excerpts that explain why the Dems seem to be constantly repelling character attacks and the republicans get to skate. This in turn supports the reasons why we emphasize the personality of Democratic candidates.

It was nice to see that someone besides me thought the GOP had gone way too far and been far too successful in these last years at controlling the media, the medium and the message.

I am not worried about the personality cult issue because when I vote it’s going to be for whoever is the Democratic nominee. If Bobo the clown gets it he’s going to get my vote. The thought of another term of republican rule is intolerable. I agree with the historians who have already labeled Bush’s presidency as the WORST IN HISTORY. The scholars in the study have posited it will take decades to undo what George hath wrought during his administration. God I hope they’re wrong about that.

Though the democratic party I think I belong to may have always been fractious, it never stooped to the malicious character assassinations, preemptive plotting and fraudulent practices I associate with Karl Rove's modern neo-con GOP. So forgive me if I can’t bring myself to believe that a hate filled site about any candidate comes from members of my party. I despise our current president, his administration and his policies but have yet to sink to the lows I’ve witnessed on some blogs.

I suppose it’s due to my upbringing, my generation, my experience and my outlook. In one comment concerning this recent spat a person said; referring to me, "I think the man has confused the medium with the message." I didn’t bother to respond because I doubt he had ever heard of Marshall McLuhan and his book; much less the phrase "The Medium is the Message." The thrust of McLuhan's message is that the look and feel of the medium can be more important that the information. (and more telling)

I’m still up in the air about the creds of the site in question, but I’m not going to give it any more thought. It’s just too damn depressing.

Till next time, How’s your Democratic Party?

I deplore Hate Speech but I Hate Alzheimer’s

2008-04-16T00:04:00.002-04:00

This subject has deep and personal meaning for me. My mother passed away three years ago this May from Alzheimer’s. At age 59 I have already experienced some very early indications/symptoms of the disease as well. My Doctor suggested I start preventative medication, yet I am unwilling to do so at this time. Part of it is denial (Hell, I’m not old enough to have to worry about it I say to myself) and part of it is economic. (I’m unwilling to start expensive drug therapy or treatment without insurance.)

I came across the videos below today at a completely unrelated site. It’s on my Blogroll as Boomer Business. Believe it or not I like to check in on every site on the sidebar. It wouldn’t be right to recommend them to you if I don’t read them. Back to the point….I watched the videos and was struck by the bittersweet sadness of the loss of memory and to some extent personality, when in the final stages of Alzheimer’s.

After my Mother had been diagnosed as terminal, I asked her how and where she wanted to spend her last days. We went through months of planning and coercing nursing homes and guardianship and dealing with Medicaid and Medicare to get my Mom moved out with us in Phoenix as she’d requested. She died just 6 days after we brought her there. This crushing turn of events caught us totally off guard and left me feeling guilty for putting her through the flight to Phoenix, happy that she’d been able to come to Phoenix as she had asked and saddened that we only had 6 days with her once she got there.

I do feel lucky in one way though. She knew me to the end. She was mostly herself; though the dementia at times made her more than herself. While staying with her in Selma, she told my wife and me that she was still able to handle her duties as a spy for the Queen of England at 81 years old. She added that she felt sorry for the Queen because of Charles being such an ugly baby. "You know honey, those ears, Bless his heart."

She had conversations with neighbors in her apartment building before she was diagnosed in which she discussed lunch with Bobby Kennedy, skiing in the Alps and living in Paris. All this from a poor southern girl from Selma who had been on an airplane only twice in her life. On the first flight in the late 70s from Alabama to Maryland she asked for and received the pilot’s autograph.

So unlike Charlton Heston, who states so poignantly in the bottom video; "I can part the Red Sea, but I can’t part with you at this time of my life;" my mother did not dwell on her disease or worry about losing the memory of Dad and me. Instead she stayed just enough of herself and just enough of the young jet setter who spied for the Queen, skied in St. Moritz and walked the streets of Paris to a luncheon date with Bobby Kennedy, to make the most of her final days. She bore the ravages of Alzheimer’s with quiet dignity, humor and enough spunk right up to the last day to make her quick departure all the more wrenching.

I deplore Hate Speech ..... but I Hate Alzheimer’s

Till Next Time, Keep Enjoying your Memories

Take a minute and watch these videos.