It's Still An Excuse Update

Recently in the article "It's Still An Excuse", I reported that a Texas State Appeals Court ruled that authorities had no right to seize the more than 440 children in a raid on the polygamist compound last month. I am glad to see that finally, the Texas Court has come to it's senses. The Texas Court delayed returning the more than four hundred children currently in State custody, to their polygamist families. A deal is in the works between the State and the families attorney's. It requires that the children stay in Texas, allow child welfare authorities access, and that parents agree to take parenting classes. I suppose that the deal is something positive, but Texas is unlikely to alter the polygamist sect's way of life. I still maintain that these polygamist religious cults are little more than a vehicle to allow grown men to have sex with young girls.

Out Of Gas

High gas prices are old news by now, but there is value in continuing to talk about the subject. When enough people become irate, perhaps that groundswell of anger will prompt our leaders to work harder to bring us some relief. In another sign of the impact of high gas prices, data released last week indicated that Americans are driving less. Miles driven fell 4.3 % for the month of March, when compared to last year. This represents the first decline since the last major oil crisis in the late 1970's. According to the Department of Transportation, Americans drove 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than a year earlier, the first time estimated travel on public roads fell in March since 1979. We did not learn our lesson 30 years ago, and begin to ween ourselves off of foreign oil. Think of where we would be today if in 1979, a commitment was made to build up U.S. reserves, build refineries, and increase the MPG of the average car. So the question is if and when we get through this oil crisis, will we have learned our lesson? Will things just return to the old status quo?

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Obama Takes Another Page From Clinton's Book

In "Obama Takes A Page From Clinton's Book", I compared Obama's repeated statements that most of his campaign money has come from small donors, to Hillary Clinton's now famous misrepresentations of the truth. It seems that Obama may have recently pulled another play from the Clinton playbook, in his speech on Memorial Day. Obama said; "I had an uncle who was ... part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps". A few days later Obama admitted that it was in fact his great-uncle, who had helped liberate a part of the Buchenwald camp, not Auschwitz. Earlier, Republicans had pointed out that it was Soviet troops that freed the Auschwitz camp. Is this really such a big mistake? When Obama spoke about his donors, as I spoke about above, it could be considered a lie. This time I think we need to give Senator Obama the benefit of the doubt. He was most likely told this story about his "uncle" when he was very young. Of all of the horrific Nazi camps, Auschwitz is the most infamous. If people cannot see that there is a huge difference between this Obama gaffe, and let's say Clinton's Bosnia fantasy, then they are just attempting to politicize this story. Clinton's dramatic experience was firsthand, Obama's was told to him years ago.

The Secret Life Of Hillary Clinton Part IV

Oh Hillary you silly goose. I hope you stay in the race all the way to the bitter end. Perhaps you will even leave the Democratic Party that shunned you and run against both Obama and McCain this fall. I wouldn't put anything past you. Even as the Democratic Rules Committee is meeting at this very moment to decide the fate of the Michigan and Florida Delegates, Clinton is somewhere plotting her next move. So with things coming down to the wire and Hillary on the ropes, she is doing what any good Clinton would do. Hillary is inventing wild stories and exaggerations. At a campaign stop last week, Senator Clinton began with some strong arguments of opinion. Clinton claimed that she was the Democrat's stronger Candidate to match up against Republican Senator John McCain this fall. OK, it's a matter of opinion, however there is some evidence to support that argument. Good old Hillary never stops there at mere truthful opinion. Clinton said; “You have to ask yourself, who is the stronger candidate? And based on every analysis, of every bit of research and every poll that has been taken and every state that a Democrat has to win, I am the stronger candidate against John McCain in the fall”. Wow, four "every's" in one sentence, sounds pretty absolute, but is it true? Well of course not! There are a number of polls that suggest Obama matches up better against McCain as well. Oh, Hillary did you "misspeak" AGAIN? That's alright, we would not expect anything less from you. The election just would not be as much fun without you.

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Left Out In The Cold

We have all been suffering from the skyrocketing cost of oil and it's effect on many of the products and services we use. Now with the summer upon us, the price of gas will be an impediment to our plans to enjoy the summer. Even past the summer, the economic forecast is grim. The Government's Energy Information Administration predicts outrageously high prices for home heating oil this winter season. An Economist from the University of Maryland, predicts a domino effect driven by high oil costs. In his words; "The American consumer will continue to pay for fuel, food and heat, but they will give everything else up, that's going to make it harder to sell the average consumer a television, a suit, or even a meal at a restaurant." OK, the news is pretty depressing but that's how it happens. One part of the economy drags down another part, and so on. With the sunshine filled days of early summer, Winter seems so far away. In less than six months the big Christmas retail season begins. This year many business will be at risk of not getting into the "black" on "Black Friday". Where do we go from there?




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Destiny's Child

Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he expects to wrap up the Party's nomination early next week. I think somebody forgot to tell Hillary Clinton because she is still pressing on. Obama said that he will be in a "pretty strong position" after Saturday's meeting of the Democratic Rules Committee, to determine the fate of the delegates from Michigan and Florida. When asked if he will be the nominee after next Tuesday's primaries, Obama replied; "I believe so." Delegates or not, there is no quit in Hillary Clinton. It will be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out over the next few days. Who says politics can't be fun and interesting.

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The New Keystone Cops II

In the original article "The New Keystone Cops", I compared today's Democratic Party to the old Keystone Cops films. I gave some examples of the more noteworthy Dems who have shot themselves and/or their party in the foot. As you would expect, Former President Jimmy Carter was on that list. Before, it was for his ridiculous meeting with Hamas terrorists, and now he continues to shame his party. Why don't the Dems lock up their crazy old Uncle Jimmy already? Last week Carter was talking about Iran with The London Times, suggesting that The United States and other Nations should engage Iran directly, concerning their nuclear ambitions. Carter was criticizing some of Israel's actions in Gaza when he stated factually that Israel had about 150 nuclear weapons in their arsenal. Before Carter's estimation, many people including myself, had never learned of a firm estimate of Israel's nuclear capacity. Did Carter blunder and let slip some information that he was privy to as President? One things for sure, Carter trotting the globe and opening his mouth is not helping Democrats in this election. I said before that I respect Carter's work with Habitat For Humanity immensely. That said, I thought he was one of the worst Presidents in U.S. history, and I am getting tired of him being in the news so much lately.

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Mr. Peanut Jumps Ship

National Disgrace

We have lost all sense of reason in America. Did you know Arizona is the ONLY State that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote. That is just completely insane! Several other States are working on legislation similar to the Arizona law, but they will likely not finish before the fall elections. Besides being common sense, the Arizona law is part of an effort to prevent illegal immigrants from affecting the political process. That's a good plan, why was it not enacted a long time ago? Why has only one State passed this measure? It's difficult to believe, but there are opponents of these measures. What the hell is wrong with making certain that only Americans vote in an American election? Only and idiot would oppose this idea. The opponents of these measures use the cover story that certain impoverished an elderly voters wont be able to vote because the don't have proper identification. Hogwash, every American should have some form of Identification. If we can not be certain that only Americans are voting in our elections, we are on the road to losing our Country.

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All You Need Is Love

This is the kind of crap that holds the Human Race back from evolving. Child welfare groups are calling for an overhaul of Federal laws dealing with transracial adoption. They claim that black children raised by white families, may not be best for the children. This is based in part on a study performed by the Donaldson Institute. The report states; "There is a higher rate of problems in minority foster children adopted transracially than in-race, all children deserve to be raised in families that respect their cultural heritage." Crap, crap, more crap. Current legislation prohibits race from being taken into consideration in most decisions about adoption from foster care. Some have suggested racial training for the adoptive parents. That's just great, let's teach parents what black/white kids eat and white kind of music they should listen to. Go ahead, perpetuate the old racial stereotypes. I have known a few, and even was married to an adopted woman. Her birth and adoptive parents were from the same race. What I have learned form that experience is this; adopted children sometimes have difficulty accepting that fact well into adulthood, even when race is not an issue. I suppose it is hard just to deal with the fact that those who gave you life, gave you away. I think we all know that the most important qualification for a parent is that they love their children. The many children waiting for a home don't care what shade of skin that love is wrapped in.

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Put Down That Pancake

OK, maybe you can have a short stack, but don't' overdo it, because you just can't eat as much as you want. At least that's according to Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. Last week Obama said; "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK". I have been holding back on bashing Obama over these comments because I think he was attempting to get a point across, but expressed his thoughts poorly. I think Obama's point was that with the rising cost of energy, Americans need to take a sober look at their habits for financial as well as environmental reasons. That was pretty good, I should write his speeches. So anybody who has read my blog knows that I agree with his/my statement. The way he expressed the thought was surprising for such an intelligent, well spoken man. The SUV's most people will overlook, but you cannot tell people how much to eat and how to set their thermostats. Are you nuts? Besides, that's a pretty dismal message; we had better leave the table hungry and sweat. It does not sound like the positive politics of hope and change that Obama is supposed to represent. But he is right...this time.

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I Now Pronounce You...

The California State Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is now legal. I say big deal. What exactly is everybody so upset about? Same-sex couples in California will be able to wed in as early as three weeks. That has some people in an uproar. I guess we can understand those with a religious reason for opposing the court's ruling, and we should respect their feelings even if we disagree. Efforts are already underway to amend the State Constitution to ban gay marriage. I have to ask why? I would consider myself to be a fairly conservative person, however I do not oppose, nor am I pro gay marriage. Confused? It's real simple; I just don't give a damn. Gay marriage is about number one million on my list of important things. We have more urgent matters to legislate in this Country than gay marriage. As a divorcee, I must caution our gay brothers and sisters to be careful what they wish for. I will support a Constitutional Amendment to ban marriage. All marriage. Oh come on, lighten up.

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Hooray For Herpes

I needed a little break from all of the heavy stuff, so I decided to have a chuckle. I suppose for those men who suffer from erectile dysfunction, a product like Viagra is a godsend. I am sure the day will come when I have to ask the doctor for that little blue pill. While I may be happy to get the prescription filled, I don't think you will catch me singing about it on television like the guys in the "Viva Viagra" commercial. What really makes me laugh out loud is the Valtrex commercial. Valtrex is a drug for the treatment of genital herpes. The commercials always begin the same way. There is a man and woman getting all lovey-dovey and they have big smiles on their faces. You would never know that it was a commercial for a herpes drug, and that the couple are inflicted with this horrible, incurable, condition. One of the pair always proudly proclaims; "I have genital herpes". To that I say congratulations, but if it were me, I would keep that bit of information to myself. I suppose that you need happy actors to sell any product. I much prefer the straightforward approach of the Enzyte commercials. The whole Smilin' Bob thing is a little campy, but at least they don't take themselves too seriously.

Mr. Peanut Jumps Ship

In "This Is Painful To Admit; Again", I offered a rare defense of Senator Clinton because the news media had been unfairly attempting to end her bid for the Presidency, before she was ready to quit her campaign. To date, Clinton still vows to fight on. Even in light of her unrealistic chances, and despite the many people who have called for her to throw in the towel, Clinton has the right to continue on if she so desires. The latest Democratic heavy hitter to call on Hillary to quit is former President Jimmy Carter. Last Sunday, Carter said that the Superdelegates should make up their minds soon after the final Democratic Primary on June 3rd. Carter also strongly prompted Clinton to quit the race after the last primary. Carter said; "I have not yet announced publicly, but I think at that point it will be time for her to give it up". Former President Carter is a Superdelegate himself. Carter is getting annoying lately, popping up in the news a little too often for my tastes. I do not think that Carter holds any more sway over Clinton than the throngs who have already called on her to quit. Senator Clinton might just take the fight all the way, to spite those whom she feels have betrayed her.






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Hillary Reads My Blog

Our Own Worst Enemy

It's true that many times my fellow Americans, we are our own worst enemy. Our Government gets away with deceit and trickery, and outright shirking it's responsibility to the people. Ultimately we the people, bear the responsibility for holding Government accountable. In the information age, our Government has become more transparent then ever, of which I am sure lawmakers are very displeased with that fact. That said, it surprises me that there is not a greater uproar amongst the people, now that a gallon of gas is hovering around four dollars per gallon. The solutions our elected officials have offered up so far are a bogus 18.4 cent "gas tax holiday" and a lawsuit against the oil producing nations of OPEC. They can do more, much more to bring relief to the American people. In fact some of the solutions are relatively easy to implement. We can drill in Alaska and off of our own coast to increase our domestic supply. Sounds like a great idea, why hasn't it happened yet and why don't the people demand it? It has not happened because Congress will not allow it, siting environmental concerns. The people do not cry out because most are probably not aware of this opportunity. I am very concerned with protecting the environment. Having said that, there are four really good reasons for Congress to allow domestic oil companies to drill in and around The United States. One, it will bring price relief to the millions of Americans suffering due to the cost of gas. Two, it will make us somewhat less dependent of foreign oil, which in turn will give us more negotiating leverage with some troublesome nations, thus helping our National Security. Three, the technology to drill for oil with minimal environmental impact is available, and has been already proven to work in environmentally sensitive areas. The last and biggest reason; FOREIGN COUNTRIES ARE ALREADY DRILLING OFF THE COAST OF THE U.S. CHINA DRILLS CLOSER TO THE U.S. COASTLINE THAN WE DO! We can not regulate the environmental impact of their drilling efforts right off our coastline. So we might as well get some of our oil for ourselves. The ineptness of our Government and apathy of our people would almost be laughable, if found in some work of fiction. This is all to real, and we had better smarten up real soon.

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Is the United Nations still relevant? In principal, I understand what the organization is supposed to accomplish. The problem is they have not accomplished anything worthwhile in recent memory. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, reported that Iran is not cooperation with nuclear inspections. No big surprise there. The IAEA claims that Iran is holding back information on high explosives testing relating to its nuclear program. There is a lot of military intelligence to suggest that Iran is covertly working on an a nuclear weapon. Again this is no shocker, but what is surprising is that the United Nations is once again dropping the ball with regards to Iran. Am I the only person who sees shades of Saddam Hussein and Iraq. If Iran's words and assurances about their nuclear program were true, they would just let the IAEA do it's job and the issue would be put to rest. As I have said before, a nuclear armed Iran is something the world cannot tolerate.


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The Low Road

I think that we are falling into a dangerous pattern in the United States. It seems that more and more we like to allay blame into three categories; racism, sexism, and discrimination. Believe it or not, sometimes things just are what they are. It's like Freud said; "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". Now it seems that money, yep good old greenbacks, are discriminatory. A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that money discriminates against the blind. The issue being that people who are blind cannot distinguish between the different denominations of our paper currency.
The Government has resisted the complete overhaul of our paper currency claiming that it would cost too much to "make the change", and leave our money more vulnerable to counterfeiting. I must admit the Government makes a good argument, they are however experimenting with small improvements to paper currency in order to assist the vision impaired. I would be all for doing what can be reasonably done to augment paper currency to make it easier for the blind. Like many Americans, I get so turned off when I here discrimination applied to this case. The currency problem is just that, a problem to be worked on to help improve the lives of people. Paper currency was not created centuries ago to discriminate against the blind. What's next, money discriminates against poor people who do not have much of it? Surprisingly one legally blind man, Charlie Richardson, disagrees with the Court's decision. He said; "To actually be discriminated against is to have something denied to you, we're not denied the use of money." Mr. Richardson has better vision where it really counts.


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Another House Of Horrors

It's hard to believe that there is another horror story that rivals the Austrian man, Josef Fritzl, who confessed a few weeks ago to the 24 year imprisonment of his daughter in his basement dungeon, and fathered seven children by her. Last week an Argentine man was sentenced for keeping his daughter as a sexual prisoner for over ten years, ultimately fathering two children by her. The man, Eleuterio Soria, used threats and intimidation to keep his daughter hostage, at times by using a handgun. Like Fritzl, Soria began abusing his daughter at an early age. It is very hard for me to get my head around these stories. How could a person abuse any child, let alone their own flesh and blood? Are these men pure evil or just mentally ill? Perhaps both.







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Divided They Stand

On every news and talk show, there are plenty of Democrats towing the party line by insisting that the long struggle between Senator's Clinton and Obama, has not left them divided. It is difficult to believe that the long, and at times harsh struggle, between Obama and Clinton has not had an impact on Democratic unity. Evidence of this can be found in the polls that suggest many Clinton backers would vote for McCain if she were out of the race. Polls suggest some of the same for Obama's supporters. The Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee meets Saturday to decide the fate of the delegates from Michigan and Florida. It has been reported that Clinton supporters are busing in protesters to demonstrate at Saturday's meeting. Obama supporters plan to have demonstrators out in full force as well. There are historical, economic, and many other reasons why the upcoming election should be the Democrats to lose. If you would have asked me last September if John McCain stood a chance, my answer would have been no. I think the Dems have shot themselves in the foot in their primary, and opened the door for McCain to achieve victory.


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With Friends Like These...

Ah, the 2008 Presidential Election. Heaping large amounts of bull fertilizer on a record setting scale. I want for just one, just one single moment, to narrow the focus and examine one point. I want to put aside all of the other issues and politics to make one argument. Democratic Senator Barack Obama looks more like the nominee as every day passes. Tabling all of my other arguments against voting for Obama, I put forth the best one that I like to call "the three endorsements from hell". First there was the traitor Jane Fonda's endorsement a few months ago. That alone is enough to convince most Vietnam Veterans. Second, we have Obama's ringing endorsement from leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas. This would convince anybody with a half of a brain. Last but not least, good old Fidel Castro supports Obama. Castro did not want to say too many good things about Obama because he feared; "if I defended him I would do a huge favor for his adversaries." Lovely, lets recap. Senator Obama has the support of a traitor, terrorist, and communist. In fairness to Obama, perhaps he has nothing in common with these people morally or politically. We must consider this one fact that Obama cannot escape. It's bad enough that these cretins are endorsing the policies that Obama supports. That means that Obama's policies are wrong for us, it's just that simple.

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Take Them To Court

Remember the original "The People's Court" in the 1980's with Judge Wapner? They were some of the early pioneers in reality television. I can clearly remember the shows host Doug Llewelyn's catch phrase. He would say; "Don't take the law into your own hands: you take 'em to court". The Federal Government plans to do just that. The House of Representatives passed legislation last week allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to manipulate oil prices. The bill would subject OPEC oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela, to the same antitrust laws that U.S. companies must follow. I say what the hell, Congress is not doing much else to help stem the rising cost of oil and oil related products. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, saying that such a measure will cause the oil producing nations to retaliate against us. The bill passed the House in a 324-84 vote, a big enough margin to override Bush's veto. While I am not all that optimistic about the outcome, this bill is better than the whole lot of nothing that our lawmakers have been doing up there on the Hill recently. Come to think of it, we should check and see if Judge Wapner is available to hear the case.

It's Still An Excuse

Last month in "It's Just An Excuse", I examined the Government raid on the polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas. In writing about that story, I came to the realization that these polygamist religious cults are little more than a vehicle to allow grown men to have sex with young girls. A few days ago the Government's case against the polygamist sect began to unravel. A State Appeals Court ruled that authorities had no right to seize more than 440 children in a raid on the polygamist compound last month. The Texas Court said the State failed to show the children were in any immediate danger. The leaders of the sect have maintained that the State had no right to take the children. I am aware that we have to respect religious freedom and be careful not to pass judgement based upon the polygamist's lifestyle. I have said before that polygamy does not offend my sensibilities, as long as all of the parties involved are adults. What the Court has over looked here, is the fact that at least five of the young girls under the age of sixteen taken from the compound, were pregnant. Other underage girls had already given birth. Having looked at a lot of material regarding this case, my opinion remains the same. The polygamy sect is nothing more than an excuse for grown men to abuse young girls. It's Institutionalized pedophilia.

Let's Honor Them

I have been wanting to return to a place where my family and I visited in my teens. That place is Washington D.C., my thoughts in particular, of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. I will never forget when my Father, a Vietnam Veteran, and I walked down to the Memorial and saw the thousands of the names of the fallen heroes. The scene at Arlington is equally as impressive, with the hero's from many wars resting in eternal peace. It would be hard for me to describe Washington D.C. as a "fun" trip. For that reason it has been difficult to get my "tweenage" kids to get excited about going to visit there. So I am planning to do what any good parent would do; I am going to make them go. I feel that it's important enough to do just that. Besides, when we get there the kids natural curiosity will take over. I was reminded of this trip from yesteryear by a news story about our National cemeteries. An average of 1,800 veterans die each day, and 10 percent of them are buried in the country's 125 national cemeteries, which are expected to set a record with 107,000 interments this year. Additional National Cemeteries are planned in the future to keep up with the burial rate. Today being Memorial Day, this story really drives the point home of the sacrifice that so many brave people made in defense of their Country. Not only is it important for us to remember, but also to teach our children that Memorial Day is about more than just barbeque's and water park fun.

Memorial Day 2008

Today is Memorial Day, the traditional kickoff of the summer season. Where I live in the northeast, the weather has been the most perfect of any Memorial Day weekend that I can recall. This weekend has so many meanings with deep roots in our American culture. Families and friends will come together for barbeque's and many seasonal businesses cast their hopes for a successful summer. It is nothing less than a tragedy, that many will not stop for just a moment today, and consider just what Memorial Day is all about. That tragedy is magnified with this year, being another in which so many of our young men and women are in harms way. I could never understand those Americans who do not appreciate the service of out soldiers. When a soldier is called upon to serve, he/she does not question the nature of that service. They simply and faithfully answer the call of the Country that they love so much. I respect those opinions that are different from my own, after all that it what America is all about. In fact, last week I met with a close friend of mine, who stands 100% opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What he and I do have in common is a great love and respect for our military. I call on all Americans to honor the fallen soldiers of today and years past, this Memorial Day. Please keep the soldiers and their families in your hearts and your prayers. God Bless America.

Diplomatic Immunity

Here's one form the "been trying to get to it file". Last month Quintero Curiel, a Mexican Diplomat, stole a half dozen BlackBerry phones from outside a special room in the hotel where the Mexican delegation was meeting with President Bush. It is common practice at these high level meetings, for all handheld phones and devices to remain outside the meeting room. Soon after American Officials discovered that their phones were missing, the Secret Service nabbed Quintero Curiel at the airport. Curiel denied taking the phones, but the Secret Service whipped out a video of the incident. Curiel returned the phones and claimed diplomatic immunity, so he was permitted to leave with the Mexican Delegation. That diplomatic immunity sure is something. It's like the ultimate get out of jail free card. I suppose I should not be upset that this Mexican official broke the law and got away with it. After all, if it's based on breaking our laws, we have over 20 million Mexican Diplomats here in our Country right now.

What A Sellout

Last month in the stories linked below, I lamented about two of my favorite music artists, Elton John's and Bruce Springsteen's, very public political endorsements. My argument was that entertainers like all of the rest of us, have the right to express their political opinion. It's when they utilize their celebrity to influence the voters, that I feel that they cross the line. As it turns out, I found something that one of my favorite music artists can do to disappoint me more than making a political endorsement. Have you seen Meatloaf with his son and daughter in the commercial for Go Phone? They are doing a very bad parody of Meatloaf's landmark song "Paradise by the dashboard light". I am disappointed that he chose to disgrace himself and this song by doing this commercial. I wonder how Jim Steinman, who wrote those lyrics for Meatloaf over thirty years ago, felt about the commercial. "Paradise" is not just another song, and Meatloaf is not just any artist. When the album "Bat out of hell" was released in the 70's, it changed music forever. To see it in the Go Phone commercial cheapens the song and Meatloaf himself. Perhaps I should not be so hard on Meat, maybe he needed the money. One thing's for sure, I don't have to feel so guilty the next time I butcher the song at karaoke.

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Game, Set, Match

I am wearing a big grin as I write this one. I have been trying to convince the world that Senator Clinton is the creepiest in a town full of creeps. This latest Clinton gaffe proves that she does not have a soul. Yesterday Senator Hillary Clinton was responding to a question from a reporter about why she remains in the Democratic Presidential hunt. Clinton answered; "We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California". Did anybody happen to notice pointed ears and a tail on Clinton? Was she holding a pitchfork? Do my ears deceive me? Stay tune Hillary fans, same Hill time, same Hill channel! If I heard correctly, Senator Clinton just said that one of her reasons for remaining in the race is, just in case Barack Obama gets clipped by an assassins bullet? No wonder Obama has so much security. He is probably worried that Clinton herself will put the hit on him. Hillary Clinton has reached the apex of insensitivity and depravity with this one. This has to rob Clinton of the momentum she has been building over the last few weeks, and I think it could spell the end of her campaign. Come on Hillary you know that you're never supposed to let the horns show. To be fair, Clinton also gave other reasons for remaining in the race. What did Senator Obama have to say about Clinton's remark, he said;"I have learned that when you’re campaigning for as many months as myself and Sen. Clinton have been campaigning that, you know, sometimes you get careless in terms of the statements that you make. And I think that’s what happened here". Obama has more class in his pinky finger than Clinton does in her whole body. Just to be safe, Obama better don a vest when Hillary is around in the Senate.

Living Large

In "Conflict Of Interest", I blasted our members of Congress who have as much as 196 million dollars collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department. In "America For Sale" and "You're Out Of Touch", I theorized that our Congressmen and Congresswomen were all wealthy millionaires, which is partly to blame for their indifference of, and inability to, understand the working folks economic woes. I did not realize just HOW wealthy our Congressional members are. Today, I saw it reported on the news that the average wealth of our Congressional members was 10 million dollars. After the shock wore off, I abandoned all hope that this Congress can or will cope with our economic crisis. We need some new "real world" lawmakers to give us some "real world" solutions to our problems. That's pretty far off from what we have now. The people suffer, and all that the wealthy geniuses in Congress can come up with, is a lame "gas tax holiday" to save us a lousy 25 bucks this summer.

Feeling Unstimulated

We are well into the distribution of the Federal stimulus checks that cost our Government a gazillion dollars. Families will receive about six hundred bucks on average, depending on your tax filing circumstances. I have not gotten mine as of yet, but I got to thinking today about how I am going to spend it. Something occurred to me as I walked through my local "warehouse club" store, where you find mostly items in bulk. While I have noticed prices steadily climbing each month I shop there, the jump in prices from April to May, left me with a severe sticker shock today. So I thought back a few months ago, to when The President and Congress conjured up this stimulus package. I guess it was a good idea, but it did not quite work out like they intended it to. The stimulus package was supposed to infuse Americans with cash so that they could (hopefully) spend it quickly and put the paddles on the heart of our ailing economy. Consider this though, since that time, a barrel of oil is 40 dollars more, and the prices of foods and services have spiked dramatically. I like many Americans, will probably use this money just to keep up and not have much left over for extra spending. Looking back Congress should have called it the "break even package".

Held Hostage By Oil

I have been beginning to see stories on the news about Iran and Venezuela hoarding vast amounts of oil in supertankers in order to manipulate the market and drive gas prices even higher. I found some evidence to support this on the net, and think that this story is still developing. There is also evidence to support that the two nations Iran and Venezuela, are working together in this effort. I believe that this is not solely an effort to reap greater profit by manipulating the oil market. What do the two countries have in common? They both hate us with a great passion. There are so many directions in which I wanted to go with this story. I am consumed however, by only one thought. I think that this has the potential to be the flash point for a global conflict. We are already at odds with Iran for their nuclear programs, aid to insurgents in Iraq, and general sponsoring of terrorist organizations World wide. Now with Americans and our economy suffering greatly, it may just come to war. It would not take much, and may not start with a military action. This covert oil embargo by Iran and Venezuela may have already been the "Hitler crossing into Poland" of our time.

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Just A Friendly Reminder

Too Great A Danger

When Doing Right Is Wrong

There are times when I wonder if we have lost all sense of sound judgement and common decency. This is one of those times. Mark Beverly, an overnight shift supervisor at a gas station in Minnesota, was fired after he jumped on a robber who he believed was attacking a fellow employee. On a March night around around 3 a.m., Beverly was cleaning the bathroom and his female co-worker was behind the cash register. Beverly heard her scream, and rushed to her aid. Beverly said; "It looked like he was hurting her, so I jumped on him". The robber, who was armed, fled with about 15 bucks and nobody was hurt. For his trouble Mark Beverly was fired. The company SuperAmerica, said he violated company policy when he came to the employee's aid. SuperAmerica said Beverly was fired for not following the company policy as stated in their handbook. The company handbook tells employees to "cooperate: don't argue, resist or attack the robber". So SuperAmerica put aside his courage, and fired him. I don't give a #$% what the damn handbook says! What if the woman cashier had been killed? Well at least he could keep his job. This Country has serious problems beyond those attributed to Government. We have issues as a society. In "Spirit Of The Law", I argued that rules should not always be an absolute. In many cases we must weigh the circumstances surrounding an event, in along with the rule itself.
It was wrong for SuperAmerica to dismiss Mark Beverly. Until this situation is rectified, everyone should boycott SuperAmerica stations.

Some Rules Were Meant To Be Broken:

Have A Heart

Infringing On Our Rights

When Life Hands You Lemons

Cruelty Beyond All Reason

I was thinking today about the "MySpace suicide". In case you have not heard about it, Federal criminal charges were brought against a Missouri woman, Lori Drew, in connection with a teenagers suicide. Allegedly, Drew created a false profile on MySpace and posed as a teen boy, to get the attention of a 13 year old neighborhood girl, Megan Meier. Drew claimed she did this to "gather intelligence," regarding what was being said at school about her own teenage daughter. Drew was allegedly so mean, cruel, and harassing, that it led to the teenage Meier committing suicide. Drew committed an unspeakably horrible act, but should it be a crime? I want to see her punished as much as anybody, but is this not a matter for Civil Court? Not any longer. The Justice Department charged Drew with the same statute used to prosecute computer hackers, prompting many legal eagles to decry that this case will result in tragic unintended consequences. Federal Prosecutors charged Drew with breaching the MySpace "terms of service" agreement, on the grounds that she accessed protected computers without authorization. Legal fine print gives me a big headache, but I sure do understand the unintended consequences of this precedent setting case. To help me explain, this is borrowed from ABC News; " It is important to understand the underlying "crime" here. The indictment does not really have anything to do with the alleged mistreatment of the girl in this case -- the alleged crime is that Drew did not follow MySpace's "terms of service." The charges are based on an anti-hacker statute, and in this indictment, the "victim" is MySpace, not the girl. " Pretty scary stuff huh? Many people like myself do not even read those elongated terms of service on the hundreds of Internet sites we visit. Now if we violate them with even a false name, we will be guilty of Federal fraud charges. I am not sorry that the Federal Government went after Drew because the result of her cruelty, had such tragic consequences. I am torn, having done many stories about our "big brother" Government stripping us of our rights. Well this is a big one, with scary implications for an individuals rights. Please do not hate me, but I think the Fed has to reverse themselves here, even if it means that Drew goes free. Otherwise, if you signed up to read this under an assumed name, you have just committed a crime. And that's just plain scary. Shades of "1984".

Two Can Play At That Game

In my very last post, I slammed Senator Hillary Clinton for playing the blame game. Clinton blames the media for having a bias against her, and also the general attitude of sexism prevailing in America. While I agreed with Clinton about the media, I thought the sexism charge was ridiculous. Not to be outdone, Obama decided to get in on the blame game also. Speaking about his defeat in Kentucky, Obama said; "There are a lot of voters who get their news from FOX News. FOX has been pumping up rumors about my religious beliefs or my patriotism or what have you since the beginning of the campaign". I disagree that Fox has been unfair to him, but from his point of view, he has been the media darling for so long that it seems he cannot take any criticism. I see an Obama pattern emerging. He gets asked some tough questions in a debate; he cried that it was unfair. He is sensitive about his weak foreign policy stance; he trumps up charges that President Bush called him an "appeaser". Now he loses big in a few States and obviously has a disconnect with some voters; so he blames Fox News. Not only is Obama NOT the Candidate of change, he has apparently stolen a few pages from the Clinton playbook.

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Now The Blame Game

This one is right out of the Clinton playbook of crappy politics. And you know what, as much as I detest Hillary Clinton, I have come out and stuck up for her. When Clinton blamed the media for treating her unfairly and putting her rival Barack Obama on a pedestal, I agreed one hundred percent. Unfortunately Clinton did not stop there. She decided to play the sex card. Of course "The Man" is to blame. After all, he is an easy target and seems to garner lots of blame. Clinton said; "There should be equal treatment of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head". Ah, the "ism's", who doesn't love to blame a good "ism". So whom can we blame if McCain looses the election? McCain? He's the man right? Well then how could he lose if he's the man? This is all very confusing, so I am going to make it real simple for everyone. Hillary, people don't like you, because of you, who you are and what you represent. Most people who don't like you don't like hubby Bill either. How do you explain that as sexism? People do not like Hillary Clinton because she is the biggest liar and phony in a town full of liars and phonies. I have heard Clinton and her supporters cry sexism. What I have not heard from them are any solid examples to support that claim. I have an example of sexism that they can study. Think back to how Bill Clinton qualifies candidates for internship in the White House.

Got Some Explaining To Do

In a cruel irony, oil was hitting a new record high price as executives from the five largest oil companies testified before Congress today. For the second time this year, oil company officials were summoned to appear before Congress to explain their massive profits, as gas prices are spiraling out of control. Oil execs testifying under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, claimed that the market is to blame for the price of oil, and their companies were not gouging consumers. John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil Company said; "As repetitive and uninteresting as it may sound, the fundamental laws of supply and demand are at work". He is right actually. We are not interested in what he has to say, only why his company and the others are making record profits while Americans suffer. From what I read, lawmakers really gave the oil execs hell, but did it accomplish anything to help us? Congress has threatened big oil with extra taxes, and revoking the 17 billion dollars in tax breaks that they receive. Why they get that much money in the first place, I will never know. I stopped for a minute to consider the question; what if the oil company executives are telling at least part of the truth? What if supply and the markets really are part of the problem? Congress needs to act and meet the oil companies halfway. They need to lift restrictions on oil exploration in North America, and clear the way for additional refining capacity. I am deeply concerned about the environment, but with my brother and sister Americans suffering 4 dollar a gallon gas, we need help. Real help, right now.

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Here's Johnny II

Republican Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain is showing his funny side again. McCain appeared on the long running Saturday Night Live television show and was a hit in his latest humorous campaign stop. This following other McCain comedy stumps that include, WWE Raw, The Daily Show, and American Idol. I think that these appearances have shown a side of McCain that will help him connect with voters this fall. I think back to Senator Bob Dole when he ran for President back in 1996. I think most people had confidence in Dole's steady leadership, but his downfall was that he came across as a stuffy old man. John McCain is not falling into that trap. Not only is he hamming it up on popular television shows, he is doing it strategically. In his SNL appearance he made certain to poke fun at his own age. McCain said; "I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president? Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old." In doing this, McCain stole the thunder of those critical of his age. He manage to sprinkle a little political policy in there but mostly poked fun at his age. McCain went on; Controlling government spending isn't just about Republicans or Democrats. It's about being able to look your children in the eye. Or in my case, my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren, the youngest of whom are nearing retirement. I have the courage, the wisdom, the experience and, most importantly, the oldness necessary." Pretty funny stuff. Good news for McCain. If he looses the Presidential Election, he can have a new career in stand up comedy.

A Serious Threat

Recently I wrote about two very serious threats to our National security (links at bottom of the page). Both involved sensitive stolen military equipment being sold to our enemies. But from what I have been reading lately, it seems that Chinese espionage has become our biggest counterintelligence problem. In recent years there have been many espionage cases that the FBI traced back to China. This year alone there have been two cases already. Government Officials say it is an intense effort by the Chinese government to steal U.S. Government and industrial secrets. China's espionage success has come from their approach to the spy game. In the days of the old Soviet Union, the Evil Empire relied upon a few highly placed agents to gather intelligence about our Country. The Chinese utilize a large network of Chinese and China-born students, business people, and scientists. I think in layman's terms, the Chinese use a shotgun rather than a rifle to increase the chances that they will hit something. So what can a free and diverse society like ours do to protect itself? I think we need to devote more resources to counterintelligence, perhaps on the same scale as in the Cold War. It is difficult for me to have any faith that our Government can protect our secrets when you can by stolen U.S. military equipment on Ebay.

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Completely Unacceptable

Punch, Counterpunch

Early this morning in "And The Winner Is", I attempted to discern what if anything, Clinton's landslide victory over Obama meant in yesterday's Kentucky Primary. Later last night, the results from Oregon's Democratic Primary came in, giving another victory to Senator Obama. Although it was a convincing win for Obama, his margin of victory over Senator Clinton was only half of her Kentucky win, and a third of last weeks West Virginia thumping. Is Hillary gaining momentum? Apparently, she thinks so. Today Senator Clinton said that she is willing to take her fight to seat Florida and Michigan Delegates, all the way to the convention if the two states want to go that far. I wonder if Clinton really plans on bringing the fight to the Democratic Convention or is she up to something else. In "Change The Rules For Me", I theorized that Clinton's new strategy was to push hard to get the Michigan and Florida Delegates seated, with the upcoming Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on May 31, to consider how to handle Michigan and Florida's 368 delegates. That's exactly what she is up to, only now Clinton is ratcheting up the pressure by suggesting that she will remain in the race until the convention. Obama must have cold sweats.

Hillary Reads My Blog

Over the last few weeks, I have seen a jump in subscribers to this Blog. I never would have guessed that Senator Clinton was one of them. OK, so she's not really. Even if Clinton were an avid reader, I doubt that she would be happy with me. I have pounded her repeatedly in posts that cover a wide range of topics. Being a fair person, I have defended Hillary Clinton in the few occasions where I felt it was warranted. The reason I made the joke that Clinton reads my Blog was due to the fact that her recent statements concerning the media, sound very much like my post "This Is Painful To Admit Again". In that article, I made the same case that Clinton and her hubby Bill are now making. The media has retired her campaign long before it is actually finished, and that is not fair. Not being a fan of the Clinton's, I chuckle at the irony of this situation. In my recent "Check Your Facts", I talked about the left-wing media bias. Opponents of this theory has said that a media bias is imaginary, but lately many Clinton supporters are admitting that it exists. The reason that Clinton is the target of this bias is because Obama is the more liberal, far left, of the two Candidates. It's definitely not fair, but it's hard for me to feel sorry for her. I am beginning to believe in karmic retribution.


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And The Winner Is...

Democratic Senator and Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton smashed rival Senator Barack Obama yesterday in Kentucky's Democratic Primary. Clinton defeated Obama by a massive 35% in Kentucky yesterday. Last Tuesday in "Does This Mean Anything", I wondered if Clinton's landslide in West Virginia had any implications for the Democrat's Primary. Just like last week, the commentators and pundits seem to be dismissing Clinton's victory in Kentucky as well. She won by a 35% margin this week, and a 41% spread last week. That has me thinking it must be of some significance; but what exactly? In my thinking, it means that Senator Obama has a problem on his hands. There are some voter demographics in which Obama is performing very poorly. If I were Obama, I would be very concerned about the large number of Democratic voters polled, who say they will vote for McCain if Clinton is out of the race. I do not think Clinton wants the number two spot, and Obama probably does not want her there either. Obama may have no choice however, to at least ask Clinton to be his running mate. This way he can hope to retain some of those Clinton supporters. Of course, that assumes that Clinton is finished. I would not turn my back on her.


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I Have That Sinking Feeling

The Cow Jumped Over The Moon(s)

I always though it was fascinating to learn about and imagine our Earth, long before we came along and ruined it. I was watching a show on the Science Channel recently, and it seems like most scientists now agree that our Moon was formed by a violent collision of an early Earth with another planet sized body. The Moon also used to fill the night sky, as it was much closer to us than it is now. In an new theory, NASA scientists believe that the impact that created our moon would have actually created three moons. The two additional moons would have been only a fraction of the size of our Moon today. Due to their small size, scientists theorize that they would have impacted with the Earth, the Moon, or have just drifted off into space. Perhaps it's because they were made of cheese.

Man Of Peace?

I have often said that some of the most deviant people I have ever known attended Church regularly. I suppose some "peace protesters" are the most violent of people too. Last month an anti-war protester was arrested in New York and charged with assault and resisting arrest. Pretty rough charge for a man protesting for peace after all. That's not the whole story. The man German Talis, was arrested after he began punching an 18 year old young lady, who has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. What a Guy! The young victim was watching First Lady Laura Bush and Daughter Jenna as they were leaving a promotion for their children's book, when Talis assaulted her. Talis was shouting obscenities at the First Family like any good war protester, when the family of the young lady asked him to stop. So Talis did what any courageous peace loving man would do; he punched a defenseless, handicapped young woman in a wheelchair. Talis is definitely in the running for the scumbag of the year award.

We Are All Americans

Today it's been all over the news that long time Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The prognosis is not yet certain, however even in the best case scenario, this is not good news. I do not think highly of Kennedy's politics or even of the man himself. Politically, we are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Personally, I disapprove of some of the aspects of his life, such as the "Chappaquiddick incident". It's not time for that now. Now it is time to come together and send our thoughts and prayers to Kennedy's family and friends. I sincerely hope that everybody will, even those who may not be fond of Senator Kennedy. When Charelton Heston passed away recently, I was utterly disgusted at some of the comments from his enemies and detractors. Don't we want to be better than that? Heston and Kennedy both are polarizing figures. They are also men with families. When sick, they deserve our best wishes, when passed, our prayers. After all we are all Americans and we are all human.

Iron Man

The last thing I thought that I would be doing with this Blog was writing a movie review. So this is, kind of, but it means so much more than that to me. Last night I went to see the new Iron Man film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. First let me say that the movie exceeded my expectations by far. Robert Downey Jr. was amazing as Tony Stark / Iron Man, perhaps in no small part, due to his real life past experience with substance abuse. The writers and directors produced a fantastic movie than anybody could enjoy, even if you were unfamiliar with the Iron Man character. They also stayed very true to the comic book origin and story of Iron Man, with only a few changes to modernize the story. I bet you guessed it by now, I am a big Iron Man comic fan. In the late 1970's like most kids, I collected comics and baseball cards with great enthusiasm, and Iron Man was undoubtedly my favorite. It began when my best friend and next door neighbor, introduced me to Iron Man comics. It was his favorite super hero and with him being a year older than me, I would copy him often (perhaps a little more than my Mother liked). As my buddy and I got older, for years we would go to the newsstand every month and pick up the latest issue of Iron Man. In my teens into adulthood, I would search comic stores and flea markets every where I went to find the older back issues to complete my collection. Once while on vacation with my family in Florida, I begged my parents to set aside some time from Disney, and take me to some places where I might find Iron Man comics. They did, and I found some rare old ones. Today my Iron Man comic collection stands at about 300 issues. Now with a family of my own, the occasional purchase on Ebay are the only additions to my collection. After seeing the Iron Man movie, I pulled out a few of the old comics and thought about this 30 year love affair with this character. I think what I liked most, was that Tony Stark / Iron Man was different from other super hero's. He was not perfect or flawless. In fact to begin with, Tony Stark was not even a good man, certainly not a hero. Stark was an alcoholic and struggled with many personal demons. He did not always succeed or save the day. He tried, and wanted to be better than he was. That's what his Iron Man armor meant to him. A chance to be a better man and his shot at redemption. While he fell many a time, he never gave up. It's that very theme that made Iron Man real to me, because he was an everyman like you and I.

I Suppose He Never Read It?

Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's left-wing media shield is strong. It has gotten him past such scandals as Rev. Wright, the "typical white person" comment, and "bittergate". Like I said in the earlier "Where There Is Smoke There Is Fire", there are many issues Obama survived in the primaries that may plague him in the general election. It seems that a Presidential Election brings all the skeleton out of the closet, and in the information age, more people get a bone to pick. I think that one thing in particular is going to play out badly for Senator Obama this fall. Obama has said that he was never present and did not know about Rev. Wright's hate speech even though he had attended the Church for over 20 years. Most people including me, found this difficult to believe. Obama is going to have to claim illiteracy as well. While doing some research, I found some stories about what the controversial Rev. Wright has printed in the Church's newsletter. While I have not heard that much about this to date, I am sure it will be prominent this fall. Obama's Church reprinted a Hamas manifesto written by Mousa Abu Marzook, that defended terrorism as legitimate resistance, refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist, and compared the terror group's official charter, which calls for the murder of Jews, to America's Declaration of Independence. How is Obama going to explain that one away. The way I see it, he has but two choices. First, he can admit that he was aware of everything that Rev. Wright said and printed over a twenty year period; election over. The second choice is to continue to lie and say he never heard anything Rev Wright said, or saw any of the Church's newsletters. This strategy will only work if Americans are dumb enough to believe it, and are willing to have a President in office who can spend 20 years in a place and not be aware of what the hell is going on there.

Change The Rules For Me

This election just would not be as much fun without Hillary Clinton. Last week in "End Game", I thought Senator Clinton was on the ropes when John Edwards came out and publicly endorsed Barack Obama for President. I thought a back room deal might have been reached with the Clinton camp after Edwards spent the first ten minutes of his speech kissing her ass. Even comedian Jon Steward jokingly wondered just who Edwards was endorsing, on Comedy Central's Daily Show. The way Senator Obama himself had been whispering sweet nothings into Clinton's ear lately, only deepened my suspicions. Senator Clinton says no way and that she is not going anywhere. Last week I could not discern what her strategy would be, but I think it's becoming clear now. The Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting on May 31, to consider how to handle Michigan and Florida's 368 delegates. Once again Clinton has been pushing hard to get the rules changed because she would stand to net 111 delegates, using the results of the January elections with no votes for Obama from Michigan. This would put her only about 70 delegates behind Obama. I guess that Senator Clinton hopes that a small delegate deficit, paired with strong showings in the few remaining primaries, would be enough for her to make an appeal to the remaining super delegates. Senator Obama had better watch out because Hillary's attempt to change the rules, is only one of the dirty tricks in the Clinton political playbook.

Poly-Tics As Usual Part IV

Please make it stop! The ridiculous "gas tax holiday" scam is now going to the State level. State Rep. Joe Boylan, R-Moore, plans to formally introduce legislation on Monday, calling for suspending North Carolina's 30.2-cents-per-gallon gas tax for 90 days, beginning June 15. The measure would save drivers an estimated 75 dollars this summer at the pump. Well that's a little better savings than the Clinton/McCain idea. If we use North Carolina as an example, the combined Federal and State "gas tax holidays" would only save drivers 100 dollars this summer. Taking this revenue from Government coffers will only place stress on services such as road repair, and wind up being collected ultimately by raising another tax. What happens after the summer is over? This is not the long term solution that our Country needs, it's just politics. Wake up America, we suffer as our politicians continue to play games.


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Hot For Teacher II

What the hell is going on down there in Florida? We all remember the case of Debra Lafave, the former middle school teacher who plead guilty in 2005 to statutory rape charges, for her affair with a 14 year old male student back in 2004. Now another teacher in Florida, 29 year old Stephanie Ragusa, has been charged with Lewd or Lascivious Battery and two counts of Sex with a Minor. Investigators say that Ragusa engaged in oral sex and sexual intercourse with the then 15 year old male victim. During the relationship, Police say Ragusa had sex with the child 20 times and she even served the minor alcohol. The young victim positively identified two tattoos that Ragusa has, which can only be seen when the defendant has no pants on. In an earlier post, I suggested that Lafave only got a slap on the wrist for her crimes because she is a woman, and her victim was a male teen. I also stated that there were many jokes about the case suggesting that the boy victim was "lucky". If the perpetrator were male and his victim a female student, the public outcry and court sentence would have been harsher. Is this fair? I think not. This time around in the Ragusa case, I suggest that we take it more seriously and hope the court imposes a harsher sentence. This and the story links below, are examples of the overall decline of our education system and terrible acts being committed in our schools. It sure feels like we are leaving some children behind.


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Check Your Facts

I want to borrow from the now famous advertising slogan for milk; "Got Milk?". My new slogan is "Left-wing Media bias?". Kinda catchy huh, and all so true. As if we needed further evidence of this, just watch some television news, pick up a newspaper, or let your fingers do the Googling. Today I caught some of ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos", where the panel clearly worked from the assumption that President Bush actually directly attacked Senator Obama, a few days ago with his speech in Israel. Search online and you will see headlines that actually and falsely state that Bush made a derogatory comment about Senator Obama, and thus was injecting the President's Office into this election. That's when the Democrat's strategy became clear to me. With the support of the liberal media, they waited in ambush to take an opportunity for the DEMS to inject an unpopular President into the election. After all in his speech, Bush did not even mention or imply anything to do with Barack Obama; I listened to the whole thing. Why was there not all of this media hoopla when Obama said that McCain had "lost his bearings" a few weeks ago? Unlike Bush's speech, "lost your bearings" can certainly be taken as an age related insult to Senator McCain. Besides, Obama named McCain directly in that attack. By comparison, Bush never named Obama and was speaking about overall American foreign policy. If Bush were referring to a recent example of "appeasement", he was probably referencing Jimmy Carter's recent failed meetings with Hamas leaders. This whole issue has been clearly manufactured by the Democrats. I say again, Obama's audacity has caused me to lose hope. So much for change we can believe.

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OK, Now I'm Pissed

I think that my position on immigration and the millions of illegal aliens in this Country has been middle of the road. Well, at least it used to be. In the passing months, I have grown weary of the left wing protests and frustrated with our Government that has not done squat about the immigration issue. To put this issue into context, our Government has not done squat about any of the Country's other problems lately either. One of the things that I pointed out in an earlier post titled "Immigration: Losing The Middle Ground", was that some of the protests and actions of immigration supporters are actually counterproductive to their cause. Many Americans like myself, who were moderate in their immigration stance, get angry when immigrants protest waving the flags of other nations, and demand rights in the Country that hosts them illegally. These actions only polarize the people, and do not allow for the compromise that will be necessary to solve this issue. It is getting harder for me to stay in the middle when I am confronted by things that have me mad enough to chew through steel. I have seen comparisons
between the 60's Civil Rights Movement and the illegal immigrant's protests today. That's just plain nuts! Illegal's claim rights in a place they are not supposed to be! They were not brought here and forced into slavery. If you want to immigrate to the United States, then do it through the legal process and there will not be a problem. Then I saw a protest slogan on a sign that read "America is a continent not a country". That pretty much sums up their position. They feel they have a right to be here, and Americans have no right to interfere or set policy in our own Sovereign Nation. This is why so many Americans are angered and anti-immigration. I am becoming one of them.


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No Oil For You

For the second time in four months, Saudi officials rejected President Bush's request to boost oil production. The idea is simple, more oil supply is supposed to drive down our gasoline prices.
I think the President gave his best pitch to the Saudis when he said; "I said very plainly, I said you've got to be concerned about the effects of high oil prices on some of the biggest customers in the world, and, not only that, of course high energy prices is going to cause countries like mine to accelerate our move towards alternative energy." The reason that the President's statement did not sway our oil rich friends is twofold. First, the Saudis don't care about the economies of the world, and they are making a bundle off of the high oil prices. Second, the Saudis know that even a serious push for alternative energy would take many years. Bush said that the short term solution to our oil crisis is to boost domestic production, and I agree. He criticized the Democrats opposition to drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. He also wants more offshore drilling, more nuclear power and more U.S. refineries. In reading my Blog, you will see a great deal of concern for the environment. We may have to consider easing some of the above restrictions because a lot of Americans are really suffering due to the price of oil.


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Hold On "Sweetie"

Come on and give me a break already! Looking back at my earlier posts, I have not held back on Senator Obama when I thought he was wrong. On the other side of the coin, I have jumped to his defense when I thought Obama was unfairly attacked. This is one of those times. Recently, Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, was at a campaign stop in Detroit, when a local female reporter asked him a question. Obama replied "Hold on a second, sweetie. We'll hold a press avail". Obama called the reporter hours later and apologized saying that he did not mean any disrespect. Oh but that did not stop the election year poo-poo storm. Obama is now being attacked and called sexist for the "sweetie" comment. That's just a load of BS. Obama was just being his charming self. The only offense he is guilty of here is forgetting to watch every little thing that you say on the campaign trail. I am compelled to point out that this incident may be karmic retribution for Obama. After he made such a big deal out of President Bush's "appeasement" statement that was not even directed at Obama, he just might deserve this.

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Our Schools In Crisis II

You really have to see the video to believe this one. I have seen it on cable news and I am sure that it's a You Tube favorite by now. Students at a Memphis high school dance simulated various sex acts as teacher "chaperone's" stood by and did nothing. The footage best describes what happened at the dance, but I can assure you that it was beyond just normal kid stuff. The boys were behind and on top of the girls humping. In the video, adults can be seen standing close by, who must have been parents or faculty. This is yet another example of the erosion of standards and values in our school system. This type of behavior would not have occurred when I was in high school (not all that long ago). I do not want to place all of the blame on the school system. Parents are also responsible for their children's behavior. Mom's and Dad's today do not get any help from our society. The steady erosion of parental rights by our Government is also partly to blame.








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Higher Education

Completely Unacceptable

Just yesterday in "Point, Click, Kaboom", I was shocked to learn that sensitive stolen United States military equipment has been available for purchase on popular Internet sites. This equipment includes fighter jet parts and nuclear and biological warfare protective gear. Only a day later, there is another similar story. Stolen advanced military night vision gear has reached our enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq, where it can negate the advantage U.S. troops have in nighttime combat. Federal prosecutors linked shipments to terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, while others were headed to Iran and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. I ask the same question as I did yesterday. How could we let this happen? Today's question is how can we let this happen so regularly? Young Americans already in harms way, are being place in greater peril by our own stolen military equipment. This is completely unacceptable. Stories like these have me looking for accountability. I blame all of our elected leaders for this issue, along with so many other problems that are going unfixed. This is another tragic example of the overall trouble our Country is in. We need real leadership in Washington to put us back on the right track.

Flying Under Our Radar

I suppose that backroom dealing and sneaky underhanded politics have always been par for the course in Washington D.C. That era should have ended with the transparency that C-Span and the Internet bring to Government. So the question is; why is it still politics as usual in Washington? The answer is simple; because we the American People allow it. One of the classic dirty tricks in D.C. is to take a popular spending Bill, and attach a bunch of other unpopular crap to it at the last moment. This gives the unpopular legislation attached, a greater chance of passage, while attracting the least amount of attention. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein is attempting to sneak an illegal alien amnesty measure into the Iraq supplemental war spending bill. This is a clear attempt to circumvent the will of the people, and pass this illegal alien amnesty, while attracting the least amount of attention. A similar immigration Bill was defeated recently in Congress. Senator Feinstein should be immediately recalled. How long will we put up with this kind of crap? The politicians in D.C. have been taking advantage of the indifference of the American People. The sad fact is that many people are not all that concerned with what is going on in the Country when times are good. But right now things are not all that good. With the many threats to our security, soaring food costs, and gas at 4 dollars a gallon, plenty of people will be watching our leaders moves more closely. The powers that be should be on notice. If things keep on going the way they are, we are sure to see the rise of a viable third political party that may just upset the establishment.


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Much Ado About Nothing

Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, stepped up his rhetoric yesterday concerning President Bush's "appeasement" remark. Yesterday in "Learn History's Lessons", I took a look at the speech President Bush made at Israel's 60th anniversary celebration. In the President's speech, I saw nothing that should directly give offense to Senator Obama. However Obama took offense yesterday, but really began to blow this issue out of proportion today with some very hard comments aimed at President Bush and Senator McCain. I think that perhaps it is Senator Obama who has "lost his bearings". This controversy is centered around Bush's statement comparing those who wish to sit down and meet with our terrorist enemies to "appeasement". The President was referring to foolhardy peace negotiations with Hitler in the beginning of World War Two that only served to embolden the German Dictator. So what the hell does this have to do with Obama? President Bush, if he was referring to anything at all, may very well have been referencing Jimmy Carter's recent failed meeting with Hamas. Apparently the Senator is concerned about the flaws in his own vision for an Obama Presidency and foreign policy to manufacture this conflict with Bush. Perhaps Obama is just trying to assure fellow Dems that he can play rough with the Republicans. I have no problem with that, but Obama should choose a real issue, not manufacture one. Senator Obama and his staff have been attempting to draw a comparison between his plan to meet with Iran, and past President's Nixon and Reagan. Nixon went to meet with China in the heart of the Cold War, and Reagan met with The Soviet Union which would eventually end the Cold War. This comparison is total BS because Reagan and Nixon met with enemy Nations, not terrorists and the Countries that sponsor them. Big difference there. Below are some links to other posts, some in which I have defended Senator Obama. What he has done here was create a controversy where none existed and in doing, caused me to lose some respect for him. If Senator Obama calls this the politics of change he is wrong. What he has done is politics at it's worst or might I say; as usual.

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Giving Credit Where Due

Obama Takes A Page From Clinton's Book

Hillary Get Your Gun

When You Gotta Go...

If you stop to think about it, our world is full of those simple little wonders that have us asking; "how do they do that?" There is even a cable show by the same name, that is dedicated to answering that question about everything from making toothpicks to automobiles. Didn't you ever wonder how the astronauts go to the potty? I have actually seen a television show that explained how astronauts do it, in gentle terms. What about fighter jet pilots? How do they go wee-wee during an extended flight mission? This is not your typical story about Government "waste". The Air Force has spent 3.3 million dollars developing a high tech "potty" for pilots. After all, we know how distracting it can be when you have to let go of the yellow flow, and we really do not want our fighter pilots to be distracted. The way pilots used to handle this "situation" was to first try and avoid it altogether. On longer flights, pilots used what is know as "piddle packs" which are nothing more than glorified diapers. The new system, called the Advanced Mission Extender Device, uses special underwear equipped with a hose linked to a pump that drains urine into a collection bag. The men's model uses a pouch; the women's has something that resembles a sanitary napkin. Wow, the Air Force even gave it a cool name. Then again, anything is better than "piddle packs".

You Need A Better Hobby

In Iceland, Sigurdur Hjartarson is looking for a human penis. I realize how that sounds, but the truth is even stranger. Hjartarson is founder and owner of the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which offers visitors from around the world a up look at the male reproductive organ. He began his collection back in 1974 with a single bull's penis, and now has 261 preserved members from 90 species. I guess they are not into stamp collecting in Iceland? The largest in the collection, is from a sperm whale (pardon the pun). It weighs about 154 pounds and is 5.58 feet long. To complete his collection, Hjartarson needs a Human penis. Hjartarson said one of his pledged donors has backed out. "He has mentioned lately that his penis is shrinking as he gets older and he is worried it might not make a proper exhibit," Hjartarson said. Not to worry there are three other pledged donors lined up to fill the spot. I just hope that they keep the temperature warm in the museum.

Death,Back From Holiday

Last month. by a 7 -2 vote, The Supreme Court upheld that lethal injection is not a violation of the Constitution. Lethal injection is the most widely used form of capital punishment. This challenge was not about the legality of the death penalty itself, but questioned whether lethal injection was a humane way of carrying out capital punishment. A separate challenge, pertaining to the constitutionality of the death penalty for people convicted of raping children, has also been heard recently by the High Court. A decision in that case is expected by late June. I understand my fellow Americans who object to the death penalty on moral or religious grounds. I do not agree with them, but I respect their convictions. What I do not understand is those who claim that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. While I admit that most criminals do not consider this at the time of their crimes, the death penalty may save lives by limiting the degree of the crime committed. What I mean is if a rape is committed, perhaps the perpetrator will not also murder the victim, if faced with capital punishment as a result. OK, that may be a thin argument. Here is what I am sure of. Convicts fear the death penalty. If they did not, death row inmates would not appeal the sentence for 20 years. I am also positive that the death penalty brings some closure to the families of the victims who often attend the execution. What I am sure of beyond a shadow of a doubt, is that the death penalty eliminates repeat offenders.

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If They Can Do It

We can too. Today Police in Italy announced the arrest of hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants. Italian Police arrested 383 people including 268 foreigners, with 53 immediately taken to the border for expulsion. Now that's how you do it. These arrests are part of an overall strategy to get tough on illegal immigrants, blamed by many for crime. Italy is also drafting new laws to screen immigrants and jail or expel those breaking the law. Here in America, the illegal immigration issue is sure to heat up again during the fall elections. Now America is a Nation of immigrants, and I think most of us would support legal immigration. That's what the majority of Americans are asking for, control of our borders, not necessarily closing them for good. Italy is an example of a Country protecting their sovereignty by exercising control over it's borders. Why do some Americans see this as a bad thing? One Italian official said; "This operation against illegal immigrants is good because , it's what people want. They ask us for security and we have to give it to them." What a concept the people electing a Government to represent the will of the people and provide them with security. Do you think that kind of Government would work here in The United States? Sounds familiar....let me see....We The People.....or something like that.

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Learn History's Lessons

I am not one of the many Bush haters, but I admit that our President may not be the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes. This time he is spot on. President Bush made a speech today to the Israeli Parliament as part of his visit to Israel to mark that Country's 60th anniversary. President Bush said "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along." I do not see how any reasonable person could refute Bush's statement. The real trouble began when Bush said "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history." It did not take long for the democrats to pounce on President Bush for his statement. Most notably the two remaining Democratic Presidential Candidates, Clinton and Obama. Senator Obama took particular offense, saying that the President's statement was "the politics of fear". I guess Bush hit one of Obama's nerves with his speech, as he has said that if elected, he would sit down with our terrorist enemies and talk. It should be noted that President Bush never refereed to Barack Obama during his speech. By negotiating with terrorists, you inadvertently legitimize terrorism
as a vehicle to accomplish political goals. Most reasonable people know this, and Obama must too, seeing as how he was so sensitive to the President's speech. If senator Obama does not trust the lessons of history, he can consult another source. He can just ask fellow Democrat Jimmy Carter how well he did on his recent visit to meet with Hamas.

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Mr. Peanut

Mr. Peanut Strikes Out

Point, Click, Kaboom!

How could have we allowed this to happen? Congressional investigators say that sensitive stolen United States military equipment has been available for purchase on popular Internet sites. This equipment includes fighter jet parts and nuclear and biological warfare protective gear. The fighter jet parts are from old F-14's, and highly sought after by the largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. Undercover investigators have purchased over a dozen these sensitive military items from popular online destinations like Ebay and Craigslist. This is particularly disturbing in the post 9/11 era. How are we going to counter the more serious threats to our security when we are apparently unable to secure our sensitive military inventory? I wish that there was more concern amongst my fellow Americans regarding the many global threats that our Country faces. Have the lessons of September 11th been forgotten? One who forgets the lessons of history are doomed to see them repeat, and nobody wants that. The people need to hold our elected officials feet to the flame over stories like this one.

Tragedy In Myanmar

Starvation and diseases could end up killing as many people as the storm and subsequent flooding has in Myanmar over a week ago. The International Red Cross estimated that aid has reached less that a quarter of the up to 1.9 million people left homeless, injured, or hungry. The biggest obstacle preventing aid from reaching cyclone victims is Myanmar's military government. The military government has been slow to accept aid, blocked foreign aid workers from entering the country, and has gone as far as to steal the foreign aid, hording it for themselves. We have begun lobbying for a United Nations resolution condemning the nation’s generals for human rights violations. I wonder how the members of Myanmar's government stand by and watch the suffering of their fellow countrymen. All of the donations and aid does not amount to much if we can not get it into the hands of those who need it so desperately.

Kids Sold Like "Cabbages"

A Chinese newspaper has reported that thousands of children in Southwest China have been sold into slavery like "cabbages", to work as labourers. These children, who's parents are mostly poor farmers, are usually between the ages of 13-15 with some laborers as young as 7 years old. These poor children are forced to work as many as 80 hours in a week. The Chinese Government has said that they have began a crackdown on slavery and child labor and would send agents to go an rescue the children. It's difficult for me to believe this statement by the Chinese Government, given the common practice of sweatshops in China and their overall poor Human Rights record. While I hope that the Chinese Government is sincere in their desire to help these children, I wonder if they are just attempting to clean up their image before this summer's Olympic Games. It's hard for us in the West to imagine the conditions of poverty that would force parents to sell their children. China is a rising economic and military superpower. They still have a long road to travel on Human Rights issues in order to achieve true greatness as a people.

Bloggers Unite For Human Rights

I am proud to be a part of Bloggers Unite For Human Rights. My Blog is made up mostly of political opinion and current events however, I have done a fair amount of posts that concern the environment and Human Rights. So for today's first post I decided to take a look back at the Human Rights stories that I have done and include the links below. I will also post one or two more Human Rights stories later today to hopefully raise awareness. Thank you for reading, please come back soon.

Human Rights Posts:

Chinese Propaganda

Vive La France Part Deux

On Deadly Ground

If We Will Not Lead, Then Follow

Vive La France

Beijing Boycott

Tragedy In Tibet

Please Also Check Out: Amnesty International

End Game?

This evening former Senator and Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards, announced that he was endorsing Senator Barack Obama for President. Edwards made the announcement when appearing at a campaign rally with Senator Obama. Two questions come to my mind. First, was this the death blow to the Clinton Campaign? Secondly, has John Edwards just positioned himself for another run as Vice President on the Democratic ticket, in a backroom deal with Senator Obama? One thing is for certain, the Democrats want Hillary Clinton out of the race. During the first 10 minutes of his speech, Edwards proceeded to kiss Hillary Clinton's ass. I wish there was another way to put it, but it looks like the Obama camp has hung up their boxing gloves in the hopes Clinton will respond by ending her bid for President. That just shows they do not know her very well. Perhaps I am just thinking to hard on this issue. When John Edwards appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he said that he would throw his support behind the Candidate who bought him a jet ski. Maybe he was not joking and Obama's campaign, flush with cash, came through.

Conflict Of Interest

God bless America, land of the crooked way to earn a buck. When it comes to our elected officials in Washington, I am seldom surprised by their shenanigans. In what can only be seen as a clear conflict of interest, members of Congress have as much as 196 million dollars collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department. Wow! To be fair, not all of that money is invested with companies that make weapons. The list includes such companies as
PepsiCo, IBM, Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson to name a few. I think people would assume that most of the holdings were owned by Republicans. It makes a certain kind sense given that the Republican Party remains the more vocal supporter of the Iraq War. However that assumption is wrong. I found it surprising that in 2006, the last year fully reported, Democrats held at least $3.7 million in military related investments, compared to Republican investments of $577,500. Democratic Senator John Kerry, who ran for President back in 2004, earned the most, at least $2.6 million between 2004 and 2006 from investments worth up to $38.2 million. Now do you feel silly for voting for him? Senator Kerry is a vocal opponent of the War in Iraq? I guess he likes to have his cake and eat it too. Senator Kerry is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. No conflict of interest there right? Presidential Candidates McCain and Obama have no military holdings. Clinton did, but sold them back in 2007. Hillary is nothing if not shrewd. One must wonder why we do not hear these stories all over the television news or in the newspapers. I think it is just further evidence of the huge liberal media bias.

Does This Mean Anything?

Democratic Senator and Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton crushed Senator Obama in yesterday's Democratic Primary in West Virginia. Clinton defeated Obama by a landslide 67%-26% margin. To be fair, Obama did not campaign hard in the State, making only one recent appearance. Most pundits saw Obama's move as establishing a political alibi in a State where he was expected to lose by a wide margin. So what if anything are we to discern from Clinton's West Virginia victory? Even with Obama's Campaign giving little effort to win West Virginia, a defeat by 41% seems highly significant. Many of the analysts and pundits say that Clinton remains in the race hoping that Obama makes a tragic mistake. Clinton says that she wants to see it through to the end to allow all of the voters to have their say. I just do not believe that Hillary Clinton is still in this race in less she thinks that she has a good chance of achieving victory. If we have learned anything from Hillary, it's that she always has a trick up her pants-suited sleeve. I think maybe West Virginia was significant for Clinton's argument that she is the more "electable" Democratic Candidate. In my opinion, Clinton will have to have similar showings in the remaining primaries to have a real shot at the nomination.

Happy Birthday

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Israel's Independence, which has Jews all over the wold celebrating. The young Nation has survived many challenges over those sixty years, foremost being constant terrorist attacks. Israel is a close friend and ally to us here in the United States, and I hope that people from all backgrounds and religions will join in the celebration. Just a few hours ago, I listened to President Bush speak at one of the ceremonies in Israel. Bush looked better than I have seen him in some time. The President gave one his better speeches than he has recently, effectively recalling the importance of the history between Israel and The United States. President Bush recognized the importance of the Israeli Democracy in the Middle East, and said that Israel could be the model for other Nations to emulate. President Bush said;
"The United States and Israel share a belief that all people have the right to live in peace, that democracy is the best way to ensure human rights, that religious liberty is fundamental to civilized society and that using violence to achieve political objectives is always wrong," A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in a shopping center in an Israeli City, in a sad reminder of reality during this celebration. That reality is that the terrorists do not share the values of decent people.

We Saved Our Park

Last month I reported that the Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine (D), has slated 9 of our State Parks to close or reduce their services, as part of his State Budget cuts. The State Park closings will save New Jersey about 4.5 million dollars next year. The State Budget will be at least 33 Billion dollars! The State Park's closing will only save a mere drop in the fiscal budget. I also argued that while this is a State issue, it is of National concern as well. The most tragic target on Governor Corzine's hit list is Monmouth Battlefield State Park. The park is set on the site of The Battle of Monmouth that took place during the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Monmouth was one of the most important and pivotal of the Revolution. That land has been paid for with the blood of our forefathers and belongs to the people. In an unexpected birthday present, I am pleased to report that all of our State Parks have been saved including the precious and historical Monmouth Battlefield State Park. Governor Corzine formally backed off of this unpopular budget cut. After all it was such a tiny portion of the State budget to spend for the massive amount of pleasure our State Parks generate. I want to that all who read my stories about New Jersey's State Parks. I also want to thank all of the good people of New Jersey who gave a damn, and prevented this tragedy. It's just proof of a common thread that runs through many of my posts. If We The People work for change and hold our Government accountable, there are no limits to what we can accomplish! Thanks again.


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America For Sale

Whether we Americans choose to accept or not, our Country is in serious peril. We are all painfully aware of rising fuel and food prices. We all should be aware of the many Global threats to our nation from hostile governments and ideologies. I fear that the biggest threat our nation faces today is homegrown. That threat is our own broken political system. In the recent "You're Out Of Touch", I talked about our wealthy elected officials being far removed from the issues and concerns of everyday ordinary people. Besides being out of touch, Government Officials are often corrupt if not legally, than morally. Many of those who are not corrupt are indifferent and only concerned with retaining their political office. The truth in Washington has become a rare commodity. If sold by the ounce, the truth would be worth more than gold. Where have all of the true public servants gone? This story like any good one, needs a villain and Hillary my dear, I have type cast you. Hillary Clinton is the quintessential say anything, do very little, blame somebody else politician. Last month Senator Clinton blamed President Bush for a manufacturing plant closing in Indiana. The plant owned by Magnequench, made the sophisticated magnets needed to guided "smart bombs." Clinton claimed that by allowing the sale of Magnequench, President Bush caused American jobs to go overseas and forced our military to buy the magnets from the Chinese. Well she's right, but Clinton left out one important detail. While Clinton is correct that Bush did not block the sale, she failed to mention that it was her Hubby President Bill Clinton that approved the sale back in 1995. Hillary is certainly the Queen of BS, but pointing fingers does not help the American people. The saddest part of the story is that we lost more good jobs and now rely on the Chinese for critical defense components.

Don't Have To Dig Deep

Over the last few weeks, I wrote two posts that were supportive of Democratic Senator and Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. This is outside of the norm for me, but I did it in the interest of fairness. I defended Clinton's right to exit the Democratic Primary process at a time of her own choosing, and also stated that she did a great job during the O'Reilly interview. I knew that the honeymoon would not last for very long. Fact is, you just do not have to dig very deep to find the dirt on Hillary Clinton. I tripped over another Hillary story that is disturbing but not really all that surprising. In the 1980' s Clinton served on the Board of the New World Foundation, which gave funds to the Palestine Liberation Organization, at a time when the PLO was officially recognized by the US government as a terrorist organization. Back in 1996 Hillary Clinton hosted a White House reception. On her guest list was the radical groups the American Muslim Council and the Council On American-Islamic Relations. Both groups support Hamas and sanction terrorism, along with publishing anti-Semitic materials. I know that many people would be willing to overlook this or call it trivial, but the plot thickens. In 2000, the American Muslim Alliance’s Massachusetts Chapter held a fundraiser for Clinton's first Senatorial Campaign. In "Reached My Limit" and "Obama Owes McCain An Apology", I examined the endorsements of Senator Obama's Campaign by both homegrown terrorists, and enemy terrorist groups abroad. As it turns out Hillary Clinton's Campaign has similar support from terrorist organizations. In the words of Abu Hamed, leader of the Al Aqsa Brigades in Gaza; “the Iraqi resistance is succeeding, Hillary and the Democrats call for withdrawal. Her popularity shows that the resistance is winning and that the occupation is losing. We just hope that she will go until the end and change American policy.” I know that there are many important issues surrounding this election that will influence your vote. I just cannot understand how any American can vote for either of the Democratic Candidates, when their biggest cheerleaders are our terrorist enemies.


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Everybody's A Comedian

I think the practice of Presidential Candidates hamming it up on popular television shows began in earnest when Bill Clinton played the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show. I think seeing that side of him actually helped him with the popular vote. For me, it was a display of how much hot air Clinton was full of. Fast forward to the 2008 campaign, and the Candidates appearing on popular television shows is the norm. The question I am considering is, whether this a good thing or has it become trite and overdone. In an earlier post "Here's Johnny", I talked about the Candidate's appearance last month on the hit show American Idol. I thought that it was a good idea because the Candidate's appeared on Idol's annual charity fundraising show. McCain even made us laugh when he shot the Democrats a zinger about Michigan and Florida. The television talk show circuit is not exactly a new idea for Presidential Candidates, and since it is usually an interview, I am alright with that. I even thought the Candidates (and John Edward) were funny in their respective appearances on Comedy Central's Jon Stewart Show. I wonder if we have taken it too far and where the trend is going. This thought occurred to me after the Candidate's appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment's live "Monday Night Raw". To say that their appearances were cheesy, would be a gross understatement. Decide for yourselves. Hillary Clinton said; "Tonight, in honor of the WWE, you can call me Hillrod". What a disturbing image that was. Barack Obama or should I call him Rock Obama said; "I've got one question: Do you smell what Barack is cooking?" I smell it alright Mr. Senator. McCain said; "And whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on you?" I just pray he does not rip his shirt off. I suppose in the end the Candidate's appearance on the WWE was appropriate. Much like professional wrestling is fake and bad acting, so have politics become.

When Life Hands You Lemons

As a father, stories like this make me so damn mad. Mom and dad take their 7 year old son to see a Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball game. Like any other family, they got some snacks to munch on while they watch the game. Mistakenly, the boy's parents bought him a Mikes Hard Lemonade which contains alcohol. A security guard at Comerica Park noticed the boy drinking the beverage in the ninth inning of the game. The guard notified Police who took the boy to the hospital. After examination, the boy was released because no significant alcohol was found in his blood. Despite the fact that Police believed the parents story and he was cleared medically, Child Services came in, swooped up the boy and placed him in foster care. The parents waited days before their son was returned to them. So it was clearly an accident to be filed under @#%$ happens, but the boy was still taken away. If you look at the Mikes Hard lemonade product, it is possible not to notice it's an alcoholic beverage. The sign above the concession at Comerica Park where the beverage was purchased, simply read "Mikes Lemonade. The boy's father is no dummy it was simply an accident. Dad is a professor at at the University of Michigan. Both parents say they have never heard of an alcoholic Lemonade. I want all parents out there to put themselves in the place of this poor family. Imagine that it was your child, frightened and ripped from your care, only to be sent to total strangers. The State has too much power to take your children. Our Government has too much power over our lives period. This is not what our Founding Fathers sought to create. This is not My Grandfather's America.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

In the article "Friends In Low Places", I took a look at recent approval ratings polls for both President Bush and the Democratic controlled Congress. I was shocked to learn that only 22 percent of those polled thought that Congress was doing a good job, a score that is lower than President Bush's. The Democrats and their supporters have attacked President Bush with a vigor unlike anything that I have seen during my lifetime. OK, so this is politics in America today. I do not think that it is good politics, or will necessarily benefit our Country, but it is what it is. I think the bitterness the Dems have has a lot to do with the manor in which they lost to Bush in 2000, and the subsequent failure to take the White House back in 2004. Obviously the Democrats felt that they could do a better job. The funny thing is that they have had their chance to prove just that; and they have failed miserably. The Democrats won back Congress in the last midterm elections. They now have a majority in the Senate, and 30 more seats in the House Of Representatives. So what has the Democratic Congress accomplished given this advantage; bubkiss. The Dems should stop the assault and take stock of their own position. After all a 22% approval rating is nothing to brag about.

The Odd Couple Part II

In the earlier article "The Odd Couple", I talked about the TV commercial for Al Gore's green organization, the Alliance for Climate Protection. The commercial featured the Reverends Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson together in a bid for greater environmental awareness. Politically, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Robertson represent opposite ends of the spectrum. The message they are sending is that although we may disagree on other issues, we can come together for our environmental concerns. I thought it was a great idea and wonderful to see that kind of cooperation. The latest commercial features former Republican Speaker Of The House Newt Gingrich and current Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The pair made the same case for cooperation between opposing political Parties and ideologies on the issue of climate change. I was again stunned to see the negative reaction in the media and the Blogosphere to this effort. Each side is accusing their speaker of sleeping with the enemy, while many conservatives feel that Gingrich is legitimizing an exaggerated climate change issue. I applaud this bipartisan effort to work together for the environment, and do I dare to hope that it can lead to cooperation on other issues? I do not understand why there is a segment of the population so opposed to any "green" efforts. What is the downside of taking a little better care of our only Planet?

"Screw Them"

With regard to politics in America, it is what it is. There are some politicians who I think deserve a special distinction. The distinction of being a true villain. I think Senator Hillary Clinton fits that description perfectly. I consider myself to be fair, and to make my case, I point out the fact that two of my recent posts were in defense of Clinton. All politicians play hide and go seek with the truth, but Clinton is a complete phony. Most obvious are her wild exaggerations concerning her role as First Lady, done in order to feign experience that she does not have. To believe her fantasies, we would have to accept her as the peacemaker in Northern Ireland, and John Rambo landing under fire in Bosnia. Clinton claims to be the friend of working class Union families, and proponent of heath care. Well how hard did she work on those things while serving on the World's most hated company's Board; Wal-Mart? In Pennsylvania she painted herself as Annie Oakley. In Indiana she was swilling whiskey with the boys, that phony-bologna. Are we to believe that this is the real Hillary Clinton? After all, she could not even operate a convince store coffee machine by herself. And she calls Obama an elitist. How about her Senate career? Clinton moved to New York just because it would give her the best shot to get elected. I thought Senators were supposed to have long standing ties to their home State that they represent in Washington. Hillary Clinton is a carpetbagger. Here is how the Wikipedia defines a carpetbagger; "Since 1900 the term has been used more widely in the US to describe outsiders' attempting to gain political office or economic advantage, especially in areas (thematically or geographically) to which they previously had no connection" That's our Hillary alright, she only is concerned with her own ambitions, nothing else. If you still believe that Clinton cares in any way about you the voter, then I offer you this. In January 1995, then First Lady Clinton, was overheard taking with hubby and President Bill Clinton about whether the administration should make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party in the 1994 Congressional Election. Hillary Clinton said; "Screw 'em, you don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them." Hillary is all heart.

If You Can't Take The Heat

Then get out of the race. I am seeing an emerging trend in Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's campaign. It would seem that the good Senator's feathers are easily ruffled. There is not much descent in the opinion that Senator Obama has been treated with "kid gloves" by the media. This was especially true from the beginning of his campaign, right on up until the Rev. Wright debacle. In the debate a few weeks ago, Obama and his supporters cried foul when he was grilled with some difficult questions. I do not like defending Senator Hillary Clinton, however even the long running television show "Saturday Night Live" pointed out the fact that the media tosses Clinton hardballs and Obama softballs. Then there was the exchange between Obama and Senator McCain a few days ago, that I looked at in "Obama Owes McCain an apology" . When McCain justly repeated a quote from a known enemy terrorist who endorsed the Obama campaign, Senator Obama shot back with an insult about McCain's age. I felt that Obama's thinly veiled attempt to hit McCain below the belt about his age was wrong. McCain just shrugged it off as opposed to Obama, who seems to handle any criticism poorly. I have applauded Senator Obama for saying that he wants to run a clean campaign, but he has to be able to take the heat without getting hot under the collar. Even if both Candidates run clean campaigns, there will be a lot of political heat from now until November.

Don't Stone Bush

Legendary Director Oliver Stone begins filming of his new movie next week. The Oscar winning Director of such hits as "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July", is making his next movie about President Bush. I think Oliver Stone is an incredible talent and have enjoyed his films over the years. That said, I hope that this movie, scheduled to be released in October, is just a movie. The timing of the release leads me to suspect that this film is meant to have an effect on the election and that would be wrong. In a statement, Stone described the film this way;
"Despite a meteoric, almost illogical rise to power, and a tremendous influence on the world, we don't really know much about Mr. Bush beyond the controlled images we've been allowed to see on TV,This movie's taking a bold stab at looking behind that curtain." That does not sound like a neutral stance on Bush's Presidency. I have said repeatedly that I am not a Bush hater however, I acknowledge that there is a comical aspect to our President when he speaks, and by his expressions; with all due respect. Further fueling speculation that this will be an anti-Bush film, is the fact that the film's distributor Lionsgate, is the distributor behind Director Michael Moore's crapumentary "Fahrenheit 9/11". This puts Hollywood in the same category with celebrity endorsers. Please make your movies that entertain and thrill us, but stay out of politics.

This Is Painful To Admit; Again

In the recent post "This Is Painful To Admit", I gave Democratic Senator and Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton a rare compliment in the interest of fairness. I simply said that Senator Clinton did a good job last week in her interview on "The O'Reilly Factor", and for once seemed like a down to earth and believable person. I have also stated in other posts, that personally I hope she stays in the race long enough to cause further chaos in the Democratic Party. So when I now say that she should stay in the race, I am not doing it for selfish reasons. Clinton should stay in because she wants to. I think that our political processes should unfold according to the individual Party's rules, not by what the media and pundits think. It seems that Hillary Clinton is being forced out by the media and I take umbrage with that. All of the news coverage that I have seen since the last primaries, is focused on a fall McCain-Obama match up and barely acknowledges that Clinton is still in the race. When they do cover Clinton, they scoff at the fact that she still has a chance. Personally, I do not think she has much of a chance and Obama does deserve the nomination. That is however, for the people of the Democratic Party to decide and not the American news media.

Penis Envy

I have been so serious in my recent posts that I decided to blow of a little steam with a humorous story. While this story was funny at first glance, I feel strangely uncomfortable after a full read. Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises. Ouch, and hence the discomfort (you guys out there know what I mean). Get this, reports of penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where many still believe in the dark arts. Alleged victims claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear. That begs the question, why are you letting a sorcerer touch you twig and berries? In an interview, a local Police Chief said; "But when you try to tell the victims that their penises are still there, they tell you that it's become tiny or that they've become impotent. To that I tell them, 'How do you know if you haven't gone home and tried it?" (Please feel free to insert your own joke here)

Obama Owes McCain An Apology

Let me be completely up front here. Although he is far from my dream candidate, I am voting for Senator John McCain this fall. And even though Senator Barack Obama has disappointed me at times, I have been giving him high praise in my posts over the last few weeks. Now we are all big boys here, and we are fully aware that the Candidates will be taking shots at each other from now through November. The Bottom line here is that Senator Obama owes senator McCain an apology for saying that McCain has "lost his bearings". Obama's remark was in response to an earlier statement by Senator McCain. McCain was quoting an audio interview of Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' top political adviser in the Gaza Strip. Yousef said Hamas "hopes" Obama will win the presidential election. So they both took shots at each other what's the difference? Obama owes McCain an apology for the "lost his bearings" remark, whether he intended it as an age related insult or not, because it can surely be taken that way. McCain was quoting a known terrorist who just endorsed Obama for President, making that a valid political issue. Senator Obama should be more concerned that he has the support of our enemies for President. As a patriot, I would be offended if terrorists had endorsed my campaign. Obama has shown lately that he can be a real classy and respectable guy. Senator, it's time to do that again here. Just let it be known that you are sorry, and you did not mean any offence concerning McCain's age. Also sir, you ought to let the enemy know that if elected, you will be the friend of Freedom and Democracy, not terrorists.

Sign Of The Times

Divorce can be a nasty business, take if from me because I've been there and done that. Recent events have shown us that it can get much worse living in the information age. In what has become known as the "You Tube Divorce", Tricia Walsh-Smith posted a video at the popular online site You Tube, describing her failed marriage's most intimate details. The video has already had three million viewers. Her husband Philip Smith, is the president of the Shubert Organization, the largest theater owner on Broadway. Walsh-Smith claims in posting the embarrassing video; "I did it for survival". She claims that her husband was planning to evict her from their home, and he had already cut off her credit cards. Walsh-Smith also claims that her husband never confronted her with any reason for wanting a divorce. Alright, so he is acting like a jerk, we get it. That is hardly justification for her very public embarrassment of this very public businessman. Being a jerk is not against the law. If that were the case, many ex's would be in jail at this moment. Philip Smith should be awarded damages for what his wife's actions have done to his reputation. I guess that it's just a reality of the age we live in. Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, used the online encyclopedia to dump his girlfriend Rachel Marsden. Marsden got her revenge by modelling and selling one of Wales t-shirts on eBay. She claims he was wearing it when they met. If these stories have taught us anything, the lesson must be that
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Since I have a Blog let me give it a shot. Honey, I am sorry but it's over (just kidding honey). I suppose that I really do not have enough readers to worry yet.

Laughing All The Way To The Bank

Oil hit another record high today. It closed at over 126 dollars per barrel today. I have seen some analysts on television predict gas which is now about $3.60 per gallon, could go as high a five dollars per gallon. I can't get the thought out of my head of how will my family and so many other families survive this. My family has been forced to cut back our spending in other areas to offset the rising price of gas and food. I can not remember a worse economic climate in my almost four decades. My friends and relatives have all made changes in spending as well. One friend of mine, has even gone as far as to begin raising some livestock on his relatively small property for eggs and meat. At first I teased him, and later wish that I had enough land to do as much. I can remember just a year or two ago when a dozen eggs were $.99. Now that same dozen eggs is $2.89! It seems clear that our Government will be unwilling to help us anytime soon in this election year. I am deeply concerned about how lower income American families and the poorer Nations of the World will endure these times. I am already expanding my modest garden. If this keeps up, I just might turn the whole damn yard over and plant some corn. To be used for ethanol of course.

Chinese Propaganda

A Tibetan woman took the Olympic torch the last steps to the top of Mt. Everest on Thursday. The climbers then shouted; "Long live Tibet!" and "Long live Beijing!", for the TV cameras in what was clearly just Chinese propaganda. As one protester in Nepal put it; "We condemn the taking of the torch to Everest because by this China wants to show that Tibet is a part of it". After a recent meeting, an envoy to the Dalai Lama said on Thursday talks with Chinese negotiators were positive. Perhaps there is hope that the situation in Tibet will improve given the worldwide attention and the Olympic Games. If not we must be prepared to follow the European Nations who have already announced or suggested a boycott of the games.





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On Deadly Ground



Tragedy In Tibet

No Thanks, Mr. Hanks

In the articles "He's Not The Boss Of Me" and "Madman Across The Water", I expressed my dim view of any and all celebrity endorsements. In the aforementioned posts I wrote about singers Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. It just so happens that they are two of my favorite artists. That is actually and understatement. It would be more accurate to say that their music has been a very important part of my life. That said, I wish that they would stick with making music and can the political endorsements. The latest big celeb to endorse is Oscar winning actor Tom Hanks, also one of my personal favorites. I think that Tom Hanks is one of the most gifted actors of all time. Now Hanks has very publicly endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President. Hanks made a video endorsement that was released on the Internet. At least Hanks showed that he was still grounded when he titled the video; "Beware: Celebrity Endorsement." Hanks also showed his famous sense of humor in the video saying; As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you." Tom Hanks seems to get what I am saying here, but I still wish he would stay out of politics and act or get into politics and give up acting. With all of my heart I do not wish to silence the voice of any American, but when celebrities use their status to influence an election, it's just plain wrong.

Infringing On Our Rights

I have already done some posts in the past few months about Government infringing on the rights of the American people. Rights that are guaranteed in our Constitution and have been defended time and again, spilling our most precious blood. Rights that are not to be taken lightly or for granted. Rights that breathe life into this Government of the people, by the people, and for the people. This time it is not Government encroaching on our rights, but rather a private employer. I would argue however, that if the law permits such actions by private employers, then Government is culpable as well. Thirty-nine Whirlpool Corp. employees have been suspended for smoking after they declared they were nonsmokers on health insurance forms. In doing so, the workers saved 500 dollars on their health insurance premiums as Whirlpool requires its employees who smoke to pay higher health insurance premiums. First of all, I do not condone lying or falsifying records of any kind. So in that regard the 39 employees were wrong. That said, I feel that there are larger issues that come into play here. First, everybody should pay the same insurance premium. I understand that smokers pay more because of a risk based assessment but feel that this is unfair. For example, what about the guy who drinks alcohol heavily and is destroying his liver? What about the guy who eats bacon everyday for breakfast and is obese? Do they pay higher premiums like the smokers do? If the powers that be had their way, they would I assure you. What if some of those 39 suspended workers took up smoking after they filled out those forms in the past. Are they required to notify "Big Brother" employer? Should the workers go to the boss and say "even though it's none of your god damn business I started smoking. The good news is that I conquered that chronic masturbation problem". How far will employers be permitted to pry into their employees lives to obtain information like this. Sometimes I think that it will not be a foreign invader that conquers our nation, but rather we will give away so many of our rights that our forefathers would not recognize this Country as America. Any rule or law is not absolute if the people rise in opposition of them. We the people have forgotten this and the time has come to stand shoulder to shoulder. Lest we risk the government of the people, by the people, for the people, perishing from the Earth.

You're Out Of Touch

I'm out of time.... A Great old Hall and Oates tune that also describes most of our elected officials today. Our elected officials are awash with wealth and very far removed from the reality of the lives of ordinary people. While you might expect such a thing from royalty, I do not think that it is quite what our Founding fathers had in mind for America. In recent posts like "Save Our Park", I have accused our elected officials of simply not caring about the people. While I am sure this applies to some of our politicians, I wonder if I was just a bit to harsh with that statement. Giving it some more thought, I came to realize that it is not always the case that they do not care, it's that they do not understand. Your Senators and Governors simply have no frame of reference regarding our problems. After all, how can you understand the struggle of a working family living paycheck to paycheck, when you have servants working in your home? How can you understand that gas and food prices are soaring when you do not drive, fill your own tank, or shop at the grocery store? Just take a look at all of the Politicians who jumped on the "gas tax holiday" wagon of BS. That shows you just how out of touch they really are. They feel because they would have saved the people 25 dollars on gas this summer with this crazy idea, that it actually brings us some financial relief. The only thing the "gas tax holiday" accomplishes is that it makes our elected officials sleep better at night in their ivory towers. A recent poll showed that nearly 75% of the people think the gas tax idea is just a political stunt. Need further proof that politicians are out of touch? Did you see Senator Hillary Clinton try to work the coffee machine last week? She needed assistance because she had no clue how to operate that complex piece of technology. How can our rich politicians help us if they have not even poured a cup of coffee for themselves in as long as they can remember?

Running On Empty

Democratic Senator and Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton just loaned her campaign 6.4 million dollars, definitely not a sign that all is well. Clinton also loaned her campaign over 5 million dollars in April. Despite that fact, Clinton says that she is staying in the race. Today at a speech in West Virginia, Clinton said; "I'm staying in this race until there is a nominee, and obviously I'm going to work as hard as I can to become that nominee." If you have read any of my Blog you know that I have no love for Hillary or any other Clinton. Personally, I hope she stays in and continues to wreak havoc in the Democratic Party. The question is why does she stay in when it's clear that Obama has defeated her? There is only one answer that seems to make sense. Clinton is hoping that Obama either screws up or something unsavory in his background surfaces. She would then hope to persuade the Democratic Super Delegates to push her over the top with enough delegates to win the nomination. In a recent speech, I heard Clinton say that she stays in order to let all of the voters have their say. They have and you lost. Hillary Clinton is staying in for the one person she cares about; Hillary Clinton. Like I said before, I hope she does stay and destroy the Democratic Party.

Save Our Park Update

Last month in "Save Our Park", I wrote about an issue that is very close to my heart. In sum,
The Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine (D), has slated 9 of our State Parks to close or reduce their services, as part of his State Budget cuts. The State Park closings will save New Jersey about 4.5 million dollars next year. The State Budget will be at least 33 Billion dollars! The State Park's closing will only save a mere drop in the fiscal budget. I also argued that while this is a State issue, it is of National concern as well. The most tragic target on Governor Corzine's hit list is Monmouth Battlefield State Park. The park is set on the site of The Battle of Monmouth that took place during the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Monmouth was one of the most important and pivotal of the Revolution. That land has been paid for with the blood of our forefathers and belongs to the people. It is an outrage that this park is not part of the National Park System. In an update, the good people of Monmouth County, New Jersey are coming to the rescue. Monmouth County Freeholders passed a resolution urging the State to keep all of it's parks open. Furthermore, negotiations have begun with State officials to have the County take over most of the Parks operations. What a shame it is to add the costs of administering this sacred land to the municipal tax burden, but as one County Freeholder put it; "You can't put a lock on history". Amen to that! I do not think that I overstate when I say that our Government is broken. Too often, our Government no longer serves it's people. I guess that's why king, I mean Governor Corzine no longer cares about the people of New Jersey or our Revolutionary Forefathers. In many ways our Government has become what our Revolutionary Forefathers held in contempt! It's time to dump some more tea into the harbor.

House Of Horrors Update

In the stories "Crikey" and "Sorry Mates", I looked in disgust upon the story about the Austrian man who imprisoned and raped his own daughter for the last 24 years, ultimately fathering 7 children by her. We have come to learn that the man, Josef Fritzl, was plotting the imprisonment of his then teenage daughter for six years prior to the act. Police also described the elaborate planning behind and structure of Fritzl's basement dungeon. I did not think it could get more depraved or bizarre than that. A recent update of the story with some new statements by Fritzl have hit a 10 on my creep-o-meter. Fritzl said; "My drive to have sex with Elisabeth grew stronger and stronger, I knew Elisabeth didn't want me to do what I did to her. I knew that I was hurting her. ... It was like an addiction ... In reality, I wanted children with her." That's just sick. Seriously sick. His daughter also told Police that Fritzl began to molest her when she was just 11 years old. Something else a little off topic, struck me through the horror of this story. It was when Fritzl said he was no "monster" and "I could have killed all of them -- then nothing would have happened. No one would have ever known about it." I wondered, if his acts do not earn him the title, then how does he define a "monster"? Then when Fritzl said that the media's coverage of his story has been "totally one-sided", I wondered what other side? There is nothing that could possible explain his actions short of that they were the last two humans on Earth and were forced to re-populate the species. Even then I am not sure he is free of guilt. I amazes me how people will attempt to defend their position regardless of the horrible nature of their actions. Does Fritzl really think we got it all wrong. Boo Hoo we have been unfair to him. Perhaps he would like us to enter him in the newly created "father/grandfather of the year award" contest.

Poly-Tics As Usual Part III

I was thinking about just why Senator Hillary Clinton's margin of victory in Indiana Tuesday was so slim. If we watch the analysts and pundits they will drive us crazy with enough polling data to make your head spin. Like many, I had expected Senator Barack Obama's former Pastor and "bitter people" controversies to have dogged him in a State like Indiana. After due pondering, the answer seemed quite simple. Giving Obama credit it seems has become a trend for me lately, but he deserves it once more. I think Senator Obama's opposition to this ridiculous "Gas Tax Holiday" endorsed by both Clinton and McCain alike, has paid off for him big time. Particularly, Obama's exposing of the idea as a political gimmick, show a shift from traditional American politics. That shift being the truth of course, and if you are going to run as the candidate of change then you have to be honest. Politicians had better come to terms with the fact that American voters are much more politically savvy in the information age. If your going to propose something as ridiculous as a "gas tax holiday" that will save us only 25 bucks this summer and call that relief, we are smart enough to know that it's BS. Our Politicians are hard at work this very moment trying to find solutions. Solutions to their problem that is. How to invent better lies to fool the unwashed masses.



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Poly-Tics As Usual

Poly-Tics As Usual Part II

I Have That Sinking Feeling

Despite what the majority of the analysts and pundits think, my belief that there will be an Obama-Clinton Democratic ticket this fall remains in tact. In fact, I feel that there are some signs which indicate it may be even more likely now than it was before. Tuesday Obama defeated Clinton by a landslide in North Carolina's Democratic Primary. Clinton managed a narrow victory in Indiana's Primary, however the fact that she was expected to win by a larger margin left many to feel that her campaign was, for all intent and purposes, finished. In speeches after Tuesday's Primaries, both Candidates spoke well of each other and made overtures to the crowd about Democratic unity and working together in the fall. While this may be the norm for Obama, one must ask why Clinton's claws were not out and tearing into Senator Obama. Only one answer seems to make any sense, an Obama-Clinton ticket this fall. That would most certainly spell disaster for Republican Nominee Senator John McCain. It makes perfect sense for the Democrats. With a fair share of Cinton and Obama supporters saying in polls they would not vote for the opponent, the Dems have to be concerned about McCain picking up those disgruntled voters. As stated in "The New Keystone Cops", the truth is that the Democrats do not always do what makes sense.

Clean Up Your Act

China is now number 1, and often that is a good thing. Not in this case. China recently surpassed the U.S. to become the world's single leading emitter of CO2. Congratulations. For the last few years, China's emissions have grown by at least 11 percent per year. As a Nation I feel that we have a pretty lousy environmental track record, so to surpass us, means that China is really in need of some green changes. A fact that I had to check twice, was that China has been building coal-fired power plants at the rate of two per week for the last few years. Holy CO2 Batman! What's worse, many of the new coal-fired power plants that have been built in the past few years, are low-cost designs, which are less efficient and therefore emit more CO2. Holy #%$@ Batman! China now says that it will "actively join" the Kyoto Protocol deal on global warming. In a statement China said; "China will take notice of Japan's view that the world as a whole needs to slash greenhouse gas emissions at least by half by 2050 from the current level, and China will show its willingness to study ways and measures to realise the ultimate purpose."
It seems that all of the industrialized Nations including the U.S., are setting emissions goals that can be best summarized as to little to late. The proposed pace of CO2 emission reductions planned by industrialized Nations, falls far short of what many scientists say is necessary to stabilize the Global climate. In fairness, I acknowledge that The United States has not signed the Kyoto Protocol. I think we have good reasons for not signing so long as the agreement only mandates CO2 reductions for developed countries. Like it or not, friend or foe, we are all in this one together.

They Have Lost Their Minds

It is painfully clear that all of our elected officials in Washington have lost their minds. There are some real serious issues facing our Country presently but instead of offering us real solutions, they are proposing nonsense. In "Poly-Tics As Usual Part II", I scoffed at the knuckle headed idea to waive the Federal Gas Tax for the summer. That proposal would lower a gallon of gas by an insignificant 18.4 cents for only three months, which has much more to do with politics than economic help. In Washington there is now a growing movement to curb the use of corn based ethanol fuel as a measure to lower food prices. (Shaking my head) Didn't Congress just pass legislation to mandate increases in corn based ethanol recently? OK, so they have changed their minds, but how is this going to help us? If you increase the supply of corn, you will drive down the cost of corn and corn based products; seemingly a good thing. In turn you will lose the ethanol production and require more oil for fuel, thus decreasing the supply of oil and driving prices even higher. Besides, what the hell does the price of corn have to do with wheat, rice, oranges, or any other commodity? Am I alone in thinking this is just more "feel good" election year propaganda from our elected officials? Here is a crazy idea. Why don't we try planting more corn and other foods. My garden is nearly ready.

This Is Painful To Admit

This is really killing me to do this (Damn sense of fair play) but I must. Hillary Clinton did a good job last week in her interview on "The O'Reilly Factor". I fell sick now, but you have to give credit where do. A fair percentage of my last 100 posts were slamming Hillary Clinton for one reason or another. She did do a great interview though, in the "no spin zone". Clinton was witty and engaging. She even seemed like a real person for a change. If only that were the real Hillary Clinton, I think she would have the entire election wrapped up. It's not. I will not get into the criticism because that's not what this post is about; this time. If Hillary Clinton would give up her lying, wild fantasies, and vicious political nature, she would be appealing to a lot more voters. Giving up the pants suits would not hurt either.

Feeling Good At 100

Although it has not even been three full months, this is my 100th post. It was not my original intention to reach this milestone in such a short time frame, but there are just so many different things happening right now that confront my sensibilities. So I thought on my Blogs 100th birthday that I would take a look back at some of my favorite stories. For those who have read my Blog, subscribed, and commented, I thank you very much.

Here are my favorites thus far:

The Sectet Life Of Hillary Clinton

We Did Not Have To Struggle Like You Do

Save Our Park

Earth Day 2008

Santuary Policy Kills American

Safety First?

1984

Condi, What If We Say Pretty Please

Jobs Americans Will Not Do

We Did Not Hate Our Country

We Need More Choices

The New Keystone Cops

Our Schools In Crisis

Jolita Berry, a teacher at a Baltimore high school, was attacked by a female student last month. This story reminds me of the numerous incidents of violence in our schools from the recent third graders plot to kill their teacher, up to the unforgettable tragedy in Columbine. I think back to my high school years (only) about two decades ago, and realize just how much things have changed. Sure I remember my share of fights between the students, but there were no assaults on teachers and certainly no guns in school. The details of the Baltimore teacher attack are appalling. While in class, Berry asked a student to sit back down at her desk. Not only did the student refuse, she approached Berry and got in her face. Jolita Berry warned her student "Back up, you're in my space. If you hit me, I'm gonna defend myself." She never got the chance to defend herself as the student rushed her amidst a flurry of punches and took her down to the floor. If that is not bad enough, the rest of the students in the classroom were cheering the beating on, and one of them even recorded the vicious attack on a camera phone. The video was later posted on Myspace by a student. Berry suffered a bruised shoulder and a broken blood vessel in her eye during the attack. The worst part of this whole incident by far was the disgusting response from the school administration. Berry said the principal told her she'd provoked the attack by telling the student she would defend herself. The Principals words were yet another slap to the face of poor Jolita Berry and tell another story as well. Progressive thinkers apparently feel that people do not have the right to defend their own persons. I say there is no more fundamental right regardless of whom is attacking you. To add insult to all of the injuries, when Berry was leaving school after the attack to receive medical treatment, she was mocked by the student who had beaten her. This because the Principal failed to remove the student immediately after the attack. The disintegration of the American family along with diminished parental rights are as much to blame for this incident as the student herself. The actions of the Principal were beyond reproach for sure. That Principal should be expelled permanently.

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Hot For Teacher

Mr. Peanut Strikes Out

I was not alone in my thinking that former President Jimmy Carter's recent trip to the Middle East was ill advised. Many people, including over 50 members of Congress asked the former President not to meet with the terrorist group Hamas leaders. The Israelis made that point especially clear to Carter during his recent visit to Israel. When you distill the concerns of the many who asked Carter not to meet with Hamas, down to it's simplest form it goes something like this. You do not meet with terrorists because the result is legitimizing terrorism as a vehicle to obtain goals. It's that simple. As proof, the leaders of Hamas claimed that meeting with former President Carter gave their group legitimacy and that Hamas should be a part of any peace negotiations. After all, who knows Hamas better than the Israelis? They live in the fear of the terrorist group's constant attacks. Carter really struck out when he was meeting in Syria with Hamas leaders, and terrorist suicide bombers struck killing 13 Israelis. Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombing. I do not think that you can sharpen the point any more than that. With all due respect Mr. Carter; stick to building houses please.

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Mr. Peanut

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Clinton Will Not Make Nice

I have been meaning to get to this story for a while now. A few weeks ago at a Pennsylvania campaign stop, Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama said "You have a real choice in this election. Either Democrat would be better than John McCain, And all three of us would be better than George Bush." At the time Senator Hillary Clinton was also on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania , when she heard Obama's comment and attacked like shark that just picked up the smell of blood in the water. Senator Clinton said "We need a nominee who will take on John McCain, not cheer on John McCain, and I will be that nominee." While I have been very critical of Barack Obama when I felt it was warranted, I now find myself defending him for the third time in as many weeks. Despite the negatives surrounding his campaign, and different political beliefs, I find it difficult not to like Senator Obama. At least he is a person of some respect and decency even if your loyalties are to the other side of the aisle. I think that both Senator's John McCain and Barack Obama have kept all of their political punches above the belt. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Senator Clinton. She scratches, claws, and bites of her opponents ears like the former Heavyweight Champ Mike Tyson. Just what is it that she is objecting to in Obama's remark? Fair Play? Obama is no more McCain's cheerleader than McCain is his. It seems that politics aside, both those men have a sense of honor and fair play, words that have no place in the Clinton Dictionary. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Presidential Campaign with a little less mud slinging? I think it would be refreshing for a change.

Sorry Mates

When I posted the article "Crikey" last Sunday, I was under the impression that the man who imprisoned, then fathered 7 children with his daughter over the past quarter century, was Australian. For that I print this correction and say "sorry mates" to my friends down under. The aforementioned horrible crimes took place in Austria and the story is so bizarre that it warrants an update. The man Josef Fritzl, has confessed to the 24 year imprisonment of his daughter in the basement dungeon and to fathering her seven children, of which only six survived. Local Police think Fritzl may have been plotting the design of his basement dungeon for six years before taking his daughter captive in 1984 when she was just 18 years old. That planning included a half-ton door that guarded the main entrance. In addition, a second entry involving multiple doors was discovered including one made of steel and protected by an electronic code. Questions still loom in my mind about the Fritzl's wife, the Mother of the victim. Police say that she is not a suspect and that Fritzl kept his daughter's 24 years of hell secret from his Wife. According to one TV report, the Mother was told that her 18 year old daughter ran off to join a religious cult but I can't confirm that fact. Still in all, something does not seem to add up. One things for sure, you have to be a sick bastard to look at your 12 year old daughter, then plan, and ultimately execute this atrocity.

Show Me The Money

While it may have very well been true, the perception has always been that the Republican party was the "money party". The party of the wealthy and affluent businessmen. The Democratic Party was perceived to be the working class party. The party that looked out for the poor and underprivileged. Here is what the elected members of both Parties have in common. They are all filthy stinking rich. Beyond that fact, those old notions have lead most to believe that the Republicans crush the Democrats in the campaign fundraising arena. While this may have been true as recently as the 2000 and 2004 campaigns, it seems that times are changing. At of the end of March, when the last totals were released, Democrat Barack Obama has raised nearly 235 million dollars. Democrat Hillary Clinton has raised about 189 million dollars, while Republican John McCain has only raised about 76.5 million dollars. I guess this means that those poor old Democrats are not so poor any longer. The real shocker is just how much in total is spent to elect a President. While back in 1976 it cost a mere 171 million dollars to elect a President, estimates put the 2008 election at about one billion dollars. I can't help but think that there is a much better way to spend that money.

Abracadabra

I am on the record as stating that I am not one of the many President Bush haters. Having said that, I fully realize that he will never be confused with "The Great Communicator". President Bush's policies aside, I admit that some of his speeches are downright painful to watch. I was watching him speak about soaring gas prices Tuesday, when the President said; "I firmly believe that, you know, if there was a magic wand to wave, I'd be waving it, of course." After the President finished speaking, two things occurred to me. The first was, with all due respect to the President, that he sounded like a fool and had no real solutions for our runaway gas prices. In fact, the President suggested that he may be on board for the ridiculous McCain/Clinton gas tax holiday. The second thing that occurred to me was that I have heard him use his "magic wand" at least once before. A quick Googling of "Bush magic wand" was stunning. Not only did the President use the term before, but a whole bunch of politicians from both sides of the aisle have as well to describe other difficult issues. It is at the same time both funny and tragic that our elected officials are speaking of magic wands instead of finding real solutions for our Countries very real problems. Maybe the people need to use that magic wand to make them all disappear and replace them with some regular folks who don't believe in magic.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo celebrations have become popular here in America, and are a great marketing ploy for restaurants and bars. Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for (The "5th of May"). After all, who doesn't love a good party regardless of the occasion. I must confess in that my 20's, I celebrated many a Cinco de Mayo with some Margaretta and Corona specials (and the occasional shot of Tequila). In all of that time, I never really understood the significance of the Mexican Holiday. The Wikipedia defines Cinco de Mayo as "The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride." I was surprised to learn that it is not an official Mexican Federal Holiday, and that a common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day. With our growing Mexican immigrant population, (both legal and illegal) the celebration has weaved itself into our American culture. This speaks to the many blessings of our great Country that we readily embrace the traditions of other cultures which become threads in the fabric of our Nation. After all, they don't celebrate the fourth of July in Mexico.

The Broken American Dream

One of the things that made our Country great was the belief that anyone could aspire to hold the highest office in the land. When looking upon a kindergarten class, you may have seen the future President of The United States. That kid can still grow up to be the Commander In Chief with hard work and....Oh yeah, about 500 million dollars. That is what each Party's Candidate is estimated to spend during this years Presidential Campaign. Together that's a cool billion dollars to elect our President, smashing previous records. It's simply outrageous that one billion dollars will be spent by the Parties in this election. The time has come to establish a set of rules that will govern future campaigns. Setting limits on the amount of money that can be used in the campaign, and making sure that candidates have an equal amount to spend, would be a good place to start. Maybe this is a crazy idea, but I would like to see the Federal Government foot the bill for the campaigns and disallow any other donations. Each Candidate would receive a predetermined amount of money to use in their campaign. Perhaps with this method, we could accomplish two important things. Diminish the influence of special interest groups, and put the Presidency within reach of the common person once again. Then when watching that kindergarten class, you could safely say that the kid eating the crayons is likely to run for President some day.

Swimming In Money

The big oil companies profits keep rolling on in, with some setting new company records for profit. Last month in "Pain At The Pump", I took a look at the suffering us regular, non millionaire folks are experiencing due to runaway gas prices. Chevron, America's second-largest oil company, reported that for the fourth consecutive year, the company made record amounts of money. This quarter was the most profitable first quarter in its history. So why are gas prices so high? Good old American greed of course. With gas at an average of $3.60 per gallon, Americans are taking the hit in their wallets as the price of goods and services soar as well. Perhaps the Clinton-McCain 18.4 cent gas tax holiday will help; NOT! Would it be to much to ask big oil companies to shave a billion or so off of their profits and roll back gas prices? You know, so we can all do the little unimportant things, like sending our kids to college. One day gas boycotts have never been effective. It's hard to get everybody on the same page to avoid filling up their cars on a specific day. Besides, everyone will just have to fill up the very next day. I propose we systematically boycott the stations who's parent company made the most profit that quarter. Then that company would be forced to lower it's gas prices in order to attract some customers. Then move on the the next company and so on. Americans have forgotten that perhaps their most powerful vote is the dollar vote.

Crikey!

File this story in the WTF is wrong with the World file. An Austrian man imprisoned his daughter for 24 years in his basement and fathered seven children with her. I never cease to be amazed by the evil that people are capable of. He kept his daughter now 42, in the basement for nearly a quarter of a century without seeing sunlight. DNA tests confirmed that This man was the father of all six surviving children. One child had previously died in the basement. The child's remains were found burnt in the furnace, and Police are investigating the death. The victim says her father lured her into the cellar in 1984 and drugged and handcuffed her before imprisoning her. The most bizarre twist is that Police Officials say that the man's wife had no idea that her daughter was imprisoned for 24 years in the basement below. I just can't get my head around that fact.

Wright Torpedo's Obama

The controversial Reverend Jeremiah Wright was once a thorn in Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's side. More recently it appears that at the very least, Rev. Wright has a bone to pick with Obama. Some have suggested that Rev. Wright is intentionally attempting to damage Obama's campaign. One thing is for certain, whether intentional or not, every time Wright speaks publicly, it hurts Obama's Presidential aspirations. Rev. Wright's latest interviews, along with his speech at The National Press Club, has forced Obama's hand. Obama must now continue to put more distance between himself and his former Pastor, and speak about him in ever increasingly harsh tones. We know that Rev. Wright is an very intelligent man, which leaves two possibilities. The Reverends ego is driving his staying in the public eye, to combat what in his view, has been an unfair shake from the press. Perhaps it is because Wright feels somewhat betrayed by Obama for the way he handled the controversy from the start. What is certain is that Rev. Wright must be aware that his actions have damaged, and continue to harm Obama's campaign. Had Rev. Wright eased up in the beginning, perhaps Obama's speech on race would have quelled this issue. Legendary Director Spike Lee had some sharp criticism of Rev. Wright. Lee said; "Jeremiah Wright needs to be quiet. If he loves Barack Obama he needs to shut up right now. It makes me question his motives for talking. I'm starting to wonder whether somebody has been contributing to the building funds of his church. Seriously... It looks like he's being paid to keep talking". I think Spike just wants him to do the Wright thing.

Secret Agent Man

I really hate to make light of any tragedy, but something about this story struck me a little funny. A few days ago in Houston, Texas, Police shot and killed a 52 year old man after he led them on a high-speed chase following a traffic stop. During the traffic stop, the man told Houston Police that he worked for the CIA. The officer who stopped him became suspicious when the man appeared to be nervous. The Police were trying to verify if his claim was true, when he sped off. Police pursued, and after the chase ended, the man stepped out of his car but refused officers' commands to put his hands in plain sight. Police shot him when it appeared he was reaching back into the car for a weapon. After the incident, Police found three loaded weapons in the car. This "secret agent's" family has come forth to assert that he did in fact work for the CIA. His newly widowed wife has even filed suit against the City of Houston. All of this, begs for just one question. Why didn't the man just flash his CIA credentials and stay put long enough for Police to verify them? The CIA has denied that this man was connected to the agency. Not all that surprising, or necessarily an indication of the truth. We have seen Mission Impossible after all.

The New Keystone Cops

Today's Democratic Party reminds me of the old Keystone Cops films. Remember that bunch of knuckleheads running around and acting all crazy. They have even managed to shoot themselves in the foot on more than one occasion. You have the classic Dems like Al Gore, John Kerry, and Michael Dukakis who are about as two dimensional as one of those old Keystone Cops silent films. On the other end of the spectrum there is the scandal ridden Bill Clinton who is more like an x-rated movie. What I was really thinking about, was how often the Dems manage to snatch defeat right from the jaws of victory. Remember When then Governor and Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis, hopped into that tank and put that helmet on? He looked so goofy in that tank that it effectively ended his chances of being elected. And Who could forget Gary Hart, another Democratic Presidential hopeful, who dared the press to follow him and prove that he was having an extramarital affair. Well they did follow him and proved he was doing some "monkey business" with Donna Rice. When Walter Mondale was the Democratic Nominee back in 1984, he received a smack down from President Reagan during a Nationally televised debate. Mondale was attempting to make an issue out of the Presidents old age when Reagan said; " I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." That was game over for Mondale. Then there is Bill Clinton, who's name has become synonymous with scandal. His Presidential legacy was having only the second impeachment trial in U.S. history. Today's Dems carry on in that same tradition. Barack Obama is being torpedoed by his Reverend Wright and has made several highly controversial statements. Hillary Clinton's wild exaggerations and outright lies about her past record, are quickly becoming the stuff of legends. We must not forget important Democrat and former President Jimmy Carter. Apparently his Presidency was not enough of a failure for one lifetime, so now his is wrecking new campaigns by meeting with terrorists. Ah, the good ole Dems. So painful for us when they are in office, but oh so fun to watch.

Friends In Low Places

It seems to me that President Bush has been the target of more criticism and the butt of more jokes than any other Commander In Chief that I can recall. Of course that is all a matter of perception, and somebody who feels that it is all justified, probably thinks it has not been enough. Whether or not you are a Bush supporter, we all know that his approval numbers have been in the dumpster for a long time. The Associated Press-Ipsos poll had President Bush's approval rating at only 30 percent. While I suppose that is not a big surprise to many, it is astonishing to me that nearly three quarters of the Americans polled, disapprove of their President. To be fair to President Bush, there is not a whole heck of a lot of things going right in our Country at this time, and it's not all his fault. What really grabbed my attention in the AP poll, was the approval rating of Congress. I was shocked to learn that only 22 percent of those polled thought that Congress was doing a good job. That means 4 out of every 5 Americans think Congress is doing a piss poor job. Who am I to argue because they are so right. With all of the shots constantly directed at President Bush, I was amazed to see that Congress actually has a lower approval rating. By far the biggest shocker, was to learn that the Congress typically does have a lower approval rating than the seated President. If I were Bush, the next time I drew harsh criticism from a member of Congress, I would say that at least I'm doing a better job than you guys are.

Poly-Tics As Usual Part II

A sure sign that it's time to abandon ship is when Hillary Clinton jumps aboard. Run with the rest of the rats, and head for dry land McCain. In "Poly-Tics As Usual", I scoffed at Republican Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain's ridiculous proposal for a "Gas Tax Holiday". In sum, we would save 18.4 cents per gallon on gas by suspending the Federal gas tax. In turn that would rob the Federal coffers of nearly 10 billion dollars. That money funds highway repairs and construction all over the U.S. So road construction workers will loose their jobs, adding to unemployment, and the highways and bridges will go to hell. All of this would just be for the summer, come Labor Day we have to all stop driving. Great plan, where do I sign up? This fuss over a lousy 18.4 cents a gallon. Your elected officials think that with that extra money in your pockets, it would actually bring you financial relief. Great, now I can go on that 3000 mile cross country trip because the gas savings will be about $21.60. That is barely enough to take the kids to McDonald's for one happy meal! Just another display of how out of touch your wealthy elected officials are. Watch out bandwagon here comes Super Clinton! Hillary Clinton is now adding her voice to the gas tax boondoggle, which should set off all of our BS alarms. For the second time in a day, I must commend Senator Obama for opposing this crazy idea. It's not the real help we need, it's just Poly-Tics. Like Kinky Friedman said about politics; "Poly, more than one, tics, blood sucking parasites. That's what politics is." He is right, and I would add that I think Clinton and McCain are just a few fries short of a happy meal.

Vive La France Part Deux

In "Vive La France", I gave French President Nicolas Sarkozy a lot of credit for being amongst the first of the World's leaders to suggest a boycott of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies hosted by China. China's Human Rights record speaks for itself, and the tragedy in Tibet is just the latest example. Sarkozy has once again taken the lead by pushing the European Union to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have already said they won't be attending the Opening Ceremonies. Sarkozy said; "That means the 27 countries will have to agree on a common position," Sarkozy said. "It would be better if on this issue Europe spoke with one voice," when speaking about a possible EU boycott of the Opening Ceremonies. I have asked before and now am asking again, where is the World's beacon of hope, justice, and freedom on this issue? Well President Bush says that he is going to attend the Opening Ceremonies as planned. I have at times, admired Bush for sticking to his guns and not bending to every public opinion poll. This time he is wrong. If America won't get out in front and lead on this important Human Rights issue, then we should get in line and follow.