Man Without a Party

The Wall

2005-02-04T09:36:00.000-06:00

I have hit the proverbial Wall with this website. Even with all of the excitement of the inaguration and state of the union, I just don't have a burning desire to post about politics.

I think the lack of comments and back and forth with readers is really what took the wind out of my sails. That and the fact that I am busy at work. Maybe I will recreated my site, something more along the lines of Paul Katcher's(link on the side)...

Well... I'm out.....

Eagles- A member of the access of Evil

2005-01-24T15:29:00.000-06:00

When Bush talked about the Evil Empire or Axis of Evil, for some reason he left out the Eagles. How evil are the Iggles????? If the Eagles played Al-Quaeda, I wouldn't be rooting for the Eagles.

No more Christian Conservative Nonsense.....

2005-01-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

OK, I think its time to change the name of the site from Man Without A Party to How Ridiculous are the Christian Conservatives???

So Sponge Bob and other cartoons promote homosexaulity? So 6-8 year old kids no what homosexaulity is? Get over it. Homosexaulity is something you are born with. Oh wait I forgot, the Christian Conservatives shun scientific evidence such as evolution, etc.

Just let kids be kids and watch a show with a goofy happy SOB like Sponge Bob.

OK, Figure this one out.....

2005-01-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

The basis of this site is a man without a prty, essentially caught in the middle of partisan politics, mostly because I am a moderate and in Centerfield. So if that is the case, why in the hell am I linking a Pat Buchanan article?

I think he does a fair and partisan job of speaking of the dire situation in Iraq. He uses factual info from Generals, and former Dem and Repub National Security Advisors. Buchanan lists three paths that Bush can take, keep dumping troops and stay the course, continue to send troops and train the Iraqis for a year, or call in the UN or NATO.

I obviously vote for the third option. I also believe they should do it before the potential Iraqi election nightmare. I certainly believe that this election will not be a success and that Civil War is possible. Others clearly agree.

Unfortunately I believe as long as some of the neocons, Rummy mostly, are around we will not admit failure with regard to the war and the election. And we certainly know that Dubya doesn't like to admit mistakes, much less correct them. So my guess is Dubya will go with the first option for now, claim the election a success. Than a year from now when we are further decimated with regard to troops, he goes to #2, declaring another year of training Iraqis and then a pull out.

But what do I know....

2005-01-13T15:23:00.000-06:00

Its almost time for the inaguaration. As Dubya would say, "In Aug U Ray Shun" in slow mo. So which Ball are you going to? I think I am heading to the Texas Wyoming or maybe the Patriots, oh what the hell the Independence. Unfortunately I didn't give $100,000 to get a candelit dinner.

Moss and the FCC- Odd couple?

2005-01-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

So Randy Moss angered people with his fake mooning yesterday? Big deal, he is a certified jackass. Oops, I said ass, which Fox bleeped out when Moss used the word.

After Moss did it, the Fox announcers made a big deal, with Joe Buck even saying he was sorry it was aired live. Sorry why? Because he is a clown? He didn't pull his pants down, he didn't do anything wrong. Was it unsportsmanlike? Sure, but profane? Give me a break. After the game they bleeped the word ass, which is all over network TV these days. Then the studio goes ripped in to Moss for his act.

To me this really a sign of the FCC's influence. This is football, give me a break. The only thing he is guilty of is being a schmuck.

PS- I love the fro.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

2005-01-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

Here is today's reason why we need to end the litigous nature of our American Society... Man Sues Fear Factor

OK, let me get this straight, Fear Factor went too far with a rat eating episode, it makes you puke, so you sue? Awesome logic, a show you voluntarily watched, in which you know shows nasty crap made you puke, so you sue?

This idiot wants to "send a message" and doesn't even think he will win $2.5M. The better message is stop watching crappy TV shows....

2005-01-05T13:14:00.000-06:00

This is ridiculous......

Things that make you scratch your head.....

2005-01-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

Ok this is the head scratcher of the day, and in the early lead for the year.....

Supermodel Heidi Klum, Seal Engaged

I'm back

2005-01-04T13:47:00.000-06:00

I'm back and its a new year. Tsunami's and laser pointers seem to rule the day at this point...

On this week's Meet the Press my main mna Bill Saphire predicted Evan Bayh and Bill Richardson as the 2008 Democratic nominees. I, and I would guess most of America, wouldn't know an Evan Bayh if he fell on me. So I looked him up and this is what I found: Sen Bayh Bio

I like what I see-former Governor so he has decision making experience and now a Senator. I also like this paragraph

Before his election to the Senate, Bayh served two terms as Governor of Indiana, where he established the state as one of the strongest, most financially secure economies in the nation. "Mr. Bayh's record," reported The Wall Street Journal in 1992, "is one of a genuinely fiscally conservative Democrat." Stressing fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, job creation and lean government, then-Governor Bayh's list of achievements are remarkable: eight years without raising taxes; the greatest single tax cut; the largest budget surplus in state history; national leadership in moving people from welfare to work; more dollars for schools every year; high academic standards and new college opportunities; over 375,000 new jobs; tougher laws; and improved environmental quality.

If thats true this guy has some solid qualities that a man in the middle like myself would be interested in... But then again, this is a bio written by him, so I would have to do some more research....

Merry X-Mas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Festivus....

2004-12-16T15:01:00.000-06:00

Time to take some time off for the holidays... But before he ran off to Vietnam, my friend and yours David wnated my readers to have this gift....

Biden and his heinous hair

2004-12-09T14:10:00.000-06:00

So Joe Biden is Gunning for 08??? Well good for him, but he has got to do something about this heinous as hair before then.

Iraq

2004-12-07T16:40:00.000-06:00

What has happened to the outrage of Americans about the war in Iraq????

Over the last few days we have a CIA Report that paints a poor picture of the future in Iraq, not only callin in to question the current Iraqi government, but saying improvement is not in sight. Now keep in mind this is written by someon who the CIA director Porter Goss has not fired for not "being on board". Yet. (Couldn't resist this cheap shot).

Then throw in the out and out misrepresentation of facts in the Pat Tillman tragedy. I mean,we all know that military intelligence is an oxymoron, and what SNAFU means(For those that don't know, situation normal all fucked up), but come on. This flat out stinks of lies.

Not to mention what I discussed last week.

So what has happened to the outrage? Has the Bush victory sucked that much life out of people? Has the anti-war crowd packed it in? Have people just resigned themselves to four more years and are going to sit back and take? Is it a combo of all of these factors???

I haven't got a clue, but I think its sad that things are not getting better, nor does it appear they will anytime soon. We need to escalate our voices, not succumb to defeat, as many young American lives are at stake.

Contradictions....

2004-12-02T16:36:00.000-06:00

OK, let me get this straight, per Dubya, the elections must go on in Iraq. They must be held by 1/30/05. But at the same time, we are incresing out troops in Iraq. So if this country is now on its feet and ready for democracy, why are we expanding the stays of 10,000 troops????

Clearly the fact that we have more troops on the ground a year and a half after Dubya landed on the aircraft carrier. So the war was over in May of 2003, but now we have more troops on the ground?

If this is no an admission that either a) We didn't have enough troops in the beginning or b) Iraq is still a mess and we are no closer to getting out than the day we got in in March 2003. Not that any of us didn't already no that both A & B are correct, but here is some proof....

And the elections in Iraq? Oh who cares, the whole thing is a sham anyway. The guy the US wants will win in either Januaray or some later election date.

Posting, Ukraine, Thanksgiving

2004-11-30T13:42:00.000-06:00

My motivation to post lately has been minimal. Not sure if it is because I am not pissed off about anything politically or is still the election hangover. I guess most of my posts are bitching about something, so maybe nothing has pissed me off enough to post. Maybe I could try and post something nice. Doubtful.

Thanksgiving should be all about football as far as I care. Don't eat turkey, but I make up for it in football viewing. Finally the Cowboys win another game....

So on to politics. This Ukraine thing is crazy. Just think back to earlier this month when our election went smoothly. Hell think back to 4 years ago when it didn't. People in our country remained calm, and respected the system. Maybe its because there was no outright fraud as there is in Ukraine, but we followed the rules and let things play out. Its hard to imagine what would have happened in our equally as divided nation if something like that happened here. So are the Ukrainians so angry because it reminds them of Soviet oppression? Or are they pissed off because their guy didn't win??

I am happy that we avoided this mess in 2004, because it could have been ugly....

Matalin vs. Carville

2004-11-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

Who else here can't get enough of their act????? I find it hilarious. Particularly when Jimmy boy smashed the egg all over his face on Meet the Press 2 weeks ago.

Despite the egg incident, this quote by Ms. Matalin has stuck with be

I think there's a big values issue they always miss: Americans are aspirational and hopeful. They don't hate rich people. They aspire to success and wealth. The people they know in their town that are "rich" are the local construction company owner or the car dealer or people who are the first guys to line up when their library needs a new wing or there's a charity event, or they're the ones that hire people. They don't--you demonize your enemy as a--to delegitimize him, as opposed to coming up with some idea.

You have not put one idea on the table, not one 21st-century idea. You gave people nothing to vote for.

I think these are overlooked notions. I for one fit into the aspirational category. I am young, have a post graduate degree, as does my spouse, and I plan, not hope, to be very successful. I do not disdain those with more money than me. But that was part of Clinton and Kerry's speeches at the convention, how they were willing to give money back, and how they didn't need all that money, etc. Well, I wouldn't be so generous if I earned that money like Slick Willie did. So I think Matalin has an excellent point, the majority of America do not disdain rich people, and the Dems should realize that to help the unfortunate, one does not have to destroy the fortunate.

The second point speaks for itself. Not that the Republicans have any 21st century ideas of their own. But the Dems were known as progressive and needed something. I guess some would argue that Kerry's healhcare plan was a new idea. I still argue it was a pipe dream....

So in the weekly Matalin-Carville debate, Jimmy went down as hard as his LSU Tiger's BCS hopes did this year...

I'm back

2004-11-21T14:58:00.000-06:00

Alright, I am back from a mini-vacation and avoiding the rain this afternoon. My Cowboys are hiedeous right now....

Check out this article by David Broder discussing how the Delay, Rove, and the boys drove out Rep. Charlie Stenholm, a 13 term very middle of the road Democrat. When they recarved the Texas districts, they placed several key Democrats in districts to do battle with incumbent Republicans. This one featured incumbent Rep. Neugebauer.

The main issue the article points out is that moderates like Stenholm would have helped on tough issues like social security reform. That is a key point, but the article does not point out that those in Stenholm's district will suffer greatly due to the greed of Rove & Delay. See, Stenholm was the ranking member of the house agriculture committee, as he was a former cotton farmer himself. The majority of the district he was defeated in is home to numerous cotton farms. Stenholm out, an individual from the upper midwest in as ranking member, and no more goodies for the cotton farmers.

So who wins? Bush? maybe, by sheer numbers in the House, but Stenholm was a veteran Rep. and a very moderate one at that. And as always the constituents lose the game of tug of war.

A message from Gay America

2004-11-14T15:47:00.000-06:00

I found this in many of the opinion pages this weekend and believe it is a great read.

Gay Citizen to America

My favorite part is this:
The only things I want are the same simple legal -- not religious -- responsibilities and rights that the rest of you get to enjoy without question. The right to share my life responsibilities with the person of my choosing without interference. Joint ownership of property. The ability to make a will that cannot be contested or nullified. The right to designate legal and medical powers of attorney. The right to purchase health insurance for a partner at no different cost than that required for a spouse. And yes, just like you, the responsibility to pay no more than my fair share of income tax when in a committed relationship with one other person.

I am not gay. I maybe have one gay friend. Have I told gay jokes? Of course. How would I feel if my son way gay? Thats a tough one, I guess you don't know unless it happens. But I am not a homophobe.

I truly believe people are born gay. So to me, denying them the rights in the above passage is no different that denying them to minorities or women or whomever. I just don't get how two men or two women getting legal rights to file jointly on a tax return or to become legal heirs is a big deal. If you don't want to call it marriage, fine, call it a civil union, but give them the same rights you and I are afforded.

Scott Peterson Trial

2004-11-13T10:13:00.000-06:00

I was pretty shocked that he was convicted on 1st degree murder. Not so much that I don't think he did it, but I thought the defense did an excellent job and that there was no real evidence of premeditated murder, which is necessary for 1st degree conviction.

To me the circumstantial evidence was there. I mean, who buys a boat, but then only buys a 2 day fishing license? Who buys a boat but has never fished before? But on the other hand, if someone knows they are going to kill their wife, why pay a big medical bill the day before? And the cheating on your wife and being a liar does not equate to murder.

Who knows, one thing I have had in the back of my mind was that the two got in an argument over Frey, got pretty heated and then physical. Still murder, no premeditated.

At the end of the day I guess justice was done if you believe he did it. But did the jury really have enough evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt. No eye witness, no murder weapon, no confession, no irrefutable DNA evidence. Its kind of scary that all of this circumstantial evidence is enough for a conviction. But I guess it works both ways.

All I know is if I am ever on trial, I want Mark Geragos on my side....

FCC

2004-11-11T13:48:00.000-06:00

Boy are we regressing in this country if stations across the nation are afrad to air Saving Private Ryan. ABC plans to show an unedited version of the film, which I realize is violent and has curses. But why is ABC doing that? Because this film is excellent, and last time I checked today is Veteran's Day and we should not only honor the veterans, but educate ourselves about what happened.

The FCC is obviously out of control, if these stations are afraid to air an award-winning movie, that is as fair as it comes with regard to war movies. If you are offended by cursing, change the channel. If you can't stomach violence, watch something else. If the show is too much for your young children, make sure they don't watch it. Again, this is another area where the government overregulates.

I guess we have Janet Jackson and Timberlake to blame. Even thats ridiculous, like you could see anything on the live broadcast anyway. Give me a break. Now I know why Stern is moving to satellite.....

Palestine

2004-11-09T14:02:00.000-06:00

I truly believe the Palestinian people will have the greatest opportunity to show the world what they truly are about and what they want. With Arafat clearly on his way out as the face of the nation, they now have a great opportunity.

The opportunity is to have a well respected diplomat, and not an outright terrorist, as their leader. They need someone with a clean background, someone that can verbalize the need for their freedom, but at the same time, gain the trust and admiration of the rest of the world. Israel appears on the verge of relenting and moving settlements out of Palestine. This is their opportunity. Appoint someone who can talk about freedom and reduce the violence.

Obviously this easy for us to say in America where religion does not make us hate our neighbors, nor do we utilize violence to increase our political power.

Please Palestine, follow a diplomat, its time you got your freedom and peace, its rightfully yours.

Election Hangover

2004-11-08T09:07:00.000-06:00

I seem to have gotten past the election hangover and its time to post again.

What I find really interesting is that Kerry is a Mass. Catholic, much like JFK. Way back in 1960, many feared that voting for a Catholic would be disasterous because a vote for JFK was really a vote for the pope.

Fast forward 40 plus years, and no one has an issue with a Catholic running. But he is not "religious" enough for many. He doesn't have faith. So the country and the religious right vote for Bush and his moral values.

So my question is this, have we progressed enough in 44 years that Kerry being Catholic was not an issue, or have we regressed to the 1950s when the morals and ethics dominated a social policy as progressive a flea....

My vote is that we have sadly reverted.

Healing, move to the center, etc.

2004-11-04T09:36:00.000-06:00

I truly believe there are a high number of people out there who are in the same spot as me, really without a party to identify with. I think the results showed that the Republicans continue to move to the right and the the religious right is as strong as ever after 9/11. Boy does that scare the living shit out of me. Maybe its because I am a student of history and remember what this country was founded on.

So will the Dems move to the center? On what issues would it matter? What issues can they move to the center on? Fiscal spending control? Bush hasn't displayed that, so that won't work. They clearly can't move to the center on social issues such as abortion, gay rights, etc. So where do they do? Do they all of a sudden get religion to try and compete in the south and midwest? I don't know the answer.

Bush and Kerry talked about healing the wounds and uniting. Its a novel idea, but why does anyone think the Repubs need to? They are stronger than ever with the control of the House & Senate, not to mention their strength in state governments.

CNN is reporting Ashcroft may resign. Thats great if they bring in someone who is not further right than Ghengis Khan. Have also read Rumsfeld will "retire". Thats great, should have happend 2 years ago. These folks leaving could be a positive, but the grass is always greener....

Results

2004-11-03T08:39:00.000-06:00

My thoughts:

So much for the increased voter turnout hurting the Republicans.
Surprised by the Dashcle upset. Not a big fan personally, but how much does your home state benefit by voting out one of the most powerful people in the Senate?
What does the map say when the red and blue lines are drawn upon geographic regions?
I must be out of touch, how in the world will 11 states ban gay marriage???
The Dems should slow down on Obama, come on, he beat a guy who wasn't even from the state of Illinois.
Ralph Nader, you have jumped the shark.
Where in the world does the notion that only Republicans have morals come from????
Dear Pres. Bush- this is not a mandate to move to the right, its a mandate to move to the center.
Dear Pres. Kerry- You have only yourself to blame for not running a good campaign. Not to mention picking a running mate from the south, it didn't help you a lick.

Lets hope the lawyers are kept out of this.

Voting Demographics

2004-11-01T14:40:00.000-06:00

Really interesting facts on Chris Matthews Show yesterday.

Among voters with a high school education Kerry has lost 25 percent of what Gore got just four years ago. But for voters who went to college Kerry has picked up 19 percent over what Al Gore got last time. There's a similar pattern when you break the votes down between blue collar and professional workers with Bush way ahead of his blue collar vote just four years ago, and Kerry way ahead of Gore's vote with professionals

That is an amazing stat, people with college degrees have shifted to Kerry, and the non-college grads have shifted away.

The best explanation on the his show was that the blue collar, hard working man is attracted to Bush and his blunt attitude, as well as is supportive of the troops and soldiers. Seems plausible.

Is this the NASCAR DAD shift that I have heard so much about??? I'd like to hear your thoughts on these stats.