I have decided to blog about religion and politics separately from my Destined for Banality blog. I'd like to give my readers a choice on whether they want to take the chance of being offended by my sometimes vitriolic rants on these taboo topics.
Wow, my disdain for the lame Democratic party has been renewed. The one time that they stood up to the fascist regime known as Bush, Inc. since they took the majority in 2006 was the moment they refused to pass retroactive immunity for the telecom companies. But those of us citizens with any brains left in our cynical brains knew deep down that the Democrats would end up caving. Oops, I mean compromise. How many times do we have to take this president and his boy-who-cried-wolf act seriously? This dork-in-charge actually wants to take credit for the fact that since September 11th, 2001 there has not been another terrorist attack on U.S. soil, although the number of terrorist attacks globally has certainly increased since our invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. He might as well take credit for the fact that the earth hasn’t been destroyed by a meteor on his watch either.
I wish I had more time to write about this gang rape of our constitution, but it’s nearly ten o’clock and this morning my son Justin arose at 5, so I feel like I need to get some sleep in order to be prepared for tomorrow’s parenting duties. Besides, there are much more erudite bloggers than I that have been analyzing the Democrats official position of caving-in to the lame-duck president with the lowest approval rating since they starting gauging approval ratings. Here are a few bloggers to check out on this and other issues:
That last link (Political Carnival) is actually Cliff Schecter's blog. Cliff recently wrote a book called The Real McCain, which documents the long history of flip-flopping of John McCain and proves that the word "Maverick" is merely a product label. Cliff also knows how to school the Republican blowhards when he's matched up on the talking head shows. Here's a clip below with Cliff doing a little truth-telling about the scandalous Republicans.
Bush also said he never saw the award-winning network television show "The West Wing" about a fictitious U.S. president, preferring instead to watch sports and read books. "I seriously don't watch TV. You know, I watch sports, but I'd much rather read books. And I do. I read a lot," he said according to a transcript released by the White House.
This president seems to feel the need to proclaim his reading prowess whenever possible. Remember a summer or so back when he and Karl Rove were having some kind of reading competition? It was during an interview with Brian Williams when he claimed to have read Camus and “three Shakespeares . . . I got an eclectic reading list,” he said. I can recommend the book I just read last week: All Quiet on the Western Front. It might give him a better idea of the brutality of war, since he spent his term of duty during the Vietnam War in Alabama. And then he didn't even show up for duty as required. Maybe if he knew the true human cost of this war he concocted then he wouldn't suggest that if only he were younger he might join those boys over in Afghanistan, because it seemed like a "romantic" adventure. This is a guy that grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth (before starting to insert his foot there regularly.) He got his guaranteed spot in Yale just like his daddy. He was given the presidency in 2000 by a corrupt government, and not elected by the people -- although enough Americans actually did vote for him to make one question the collective sanity of this overfed nation of ours.
But enough about our infamous reading president. Below is a recent ad with a number of citizens proclaiming their reasons for voting Republican this fall. Be careful . . . you may just be swayed by their rationale.
The presidential race this fall shouldn’t even be close. One only needs to watch a speech by Barack Obama back-to-back with a speech by John McCain to see the glaring gap between intelligence and ignorance; between compassion and heartlessness; between hope and warmongering. John McCain sees nothing wrong with keeping U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years. His reasoning is that we have kept troops in South Korea, Japan and Germany for “peacekeeping” purposes, so we should be prepared to keep forces in Iraq for the same reasons. Part of their impetus for invading Iraq in the first place was to establish a permanent U.S. military presence right in the center of the Middle East. There are now “negotiations” going on between the U.S. and Iraqi government to lay out the military plan for years to come. Basically what this means is that the U.S. is pressuring Iraq to agree to military terms favoring an U.S. presence in their country for the unforeseen future. This includes the building of 58 permanent military bases. Just last week on the Today Show John McCain was being interviewed by that intrepid journalist Matt Lauer. Lauer asked that, since he McCain supports the notion that the surge is working, can he reasonably start to predict when U.S. troops might come home. McCain’s response: “No, but that’s not too important.” Not too important?!! He went on to say that what is important is the safety of our men and women there on the ground in Iraq. Well John, what could be safer than bringing them home? Below is a clip from YouTube with John’s cold-hearted answer. If your right-wing response is: “Context!” then find the rest of the interview online. The rest of his answer is even more appalling, because he makes clear that his Iraq policy is a permanent U.S. military presence. When we these old fools stop killing innocent people in the name of fossil fuels? We got a veteran who is practically a fossil himself — who admitted the other day that he doesn’t know how to use the computer, and has almost proudly admitted that he doesn’t know anything about the economy — promising to continue to run our country into the ground.
Have you noticed how creepy John McCain's smile has become since he sold his soul?
I finally bit the bullet and ordered some Obama paraphernalia. In fact, right now to my right there is a 24x36 poster of Barack Obama adorning my wall. I also got a few bumper stickers (Independents for Obama), a few buttons (Veterans for Obama), and I a yard sign that I need to get up before my right-wing father comes out for a visit next month. I’m now officially a “hopemonger.” I even upped my donation when I ordered the merchandise and if I can stop buying books for a couple of weeks I’ll probably donate again.
Speaking of books, I finished reading All Quiet on the Western Front this evening. It’s novel about the front lines of World War I as told by a young German soldier just out of high school. At times the scenes felt quite familiar to me, because of seeing films like A Very Long Engagement, and reading books like By a Slow River by Philippe Claudel. I’ve learned from various blurbs and reviews that All Quiet on the Western Front is considered a great anti-war novel. (It doesn’t say that anywhere on the book itself, although in several places it exclaims that it’s one of the great war novels of all time.) It can be easily viewed as anti-war, because the realities of war would make any sane human be against ever having to fight another war. The bonds that grow between the classmates as they mature under fire is quite poignant. In the end it’s heart wrenching as young boys are treated as meat in a grinder in order to fulfill the military maneuvers dreamed up by some chicken hawk ensconced in comfort miles from the front. It’s the way wars have always been fought and are still fought today. Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld never served in the military. George W. Bush was given a cushy stateside position in the National Guard through his daddy’s connections. Yet these militaristic cheerleaders have no compunction sending off soldiers to die, because of their schemes and lies. They are against the new G.I. Bill, because they don’t want to treat soldiers like humans. They would rather treat them like cannon fodder. It’s the only way they can send thousands to their deaths and still cash their oil company checks.
It’s nearing midnight and I’d like to spend a little time trying to chose the next book that I’ll read before I go to sleep. Justin is currently sleeping soundly. We’ve been having sleep issues with him lately. Now that he’s in his “big boy bed” bedtime has become quite a chore. But that’s a topic for my other blog.
I’m so sick of hearing about the “dream ticket” and having the pundits hammer home again and again the idea of Hillary Clinton as Barack Obama’s running mate. This is an insane idea and just another example of media driven politics. Just because it would be great fodder for the news industry for the next five months doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, if the mainstream media are talking an idea up the vice presidential dream ticket, then it’s probably an idea which should by resisted with all your might. Hillary Clinton has run a campaign based on ego, power and greed and putting her on the ticket with Barack Obama would be self-defeating, and frankly and insult to the extraordinary campaign that Obama has run. My own guesses are far as his VP choice are just a few: Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Chuck Hagel. Yes, Hagel is a republican, but he is against the war and therefore on the outs with the lockstep Republicans in his party. Choosing Hagel would also be a shining example of bi-partisanship and would attract a lot of those disgruntled Republicans that used to ride John McCain's Straight Talk Express until it derailed, as McCain reveals himself to be just an older more addled version of George W. Bush.
The fact that hate speech, and now the advocated assassination of an African-American candidate for president, is what passes for political analysis from the right wing is enough to repulse anyone with an ounce of humanity in them. When Fox contributor Liz Trotta verbally spewed forth the vile thoughts that usually reside inside her dank mind a new low was reached. It was bad enough that Hillary Clinton brought in the topic of RFK's assassination as somehow being part of the reason she is staying in the race. Now we have a right wing pundit (AKA infected hemorrhoid) actually advocating and wishing for the assassination of Barack Obama. Watch this horrendous snippet and have your barf bag handy. This beast needs to reside on the island of the succubi with Coultergeist and the rest of the insane clown posse.
During the Bush regime certain commentators have shown their true colors, whether by wearing flag lapel pins (made in China), or through their questioning of opposition candidates. Of course we’ve always known where Faux News stands, but there are those who have admired people like Tim Russert with his folksy manner and his dad, “Big Russ.” But I’ve learned to disdain Tim over the last few years. Just this morning I was surfing by the news channels when I caught Ted Sorenson and Doris Kearns Goodwin as guests on Tim Russert’s show. They were in the midst of a conversation about Joe McCarthy and there was Tim, politely playing the devil’s advocate: “What about those who say that Joe McCarthy was right?” What is it with the lunatic fringe always wanting to rewrite history? Joe McCarthy was an insane alcoholic, whose finger pointing and the subsequent blacklists that resulted are still one of the darkest moments in our government long history of dark moments. How anyone could somehow still revere Joe McCarthy and his warped cause is beyond me. I guess these are the same people who scoff at the notion that humans may be related to apes, or that the earth is actually spherical in shape.
How much more of America’s reputation can George W. Bush manage to shred before he heads back to his “ranch” in Crawford next year permanently? Just in the past week he has opened mouth and inserted foot a number of times. To begin with, America’s favorite liar in chief stated that he gave up playing golf in 2003 as a show of solidarity with the troops that he was putting in harms way. He didn’t want the mother of some boy fighting in Iraq to turn on the TV and see him playing golf. I guess it’s okay to keep mountain biking though, and joking about those darn WMD’s. And then Mr. Goofball goes to Israel to speak on the celebration of their 60th anniversary and, during a speech on the floor of the Knesset, he non too subtly criticizes the leading democratic candidate (Obama) for daring to suggest that he would speak to countries like Iran and Syria in an effort at diplomacy. Here’s the quote: "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all 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." Amazingly, he forgets to mention that the American senator he quotes in his speech as wishing he could have talked to Hitler was a Republican, but why bother with facts when you’re throwing mud. Never mind that the actual definition of “appeasement” is an attempt to reduce difficulties by making concessions. These goobers, including McCain, like to talk about “peace through strength” as if dropping bombs on wedding parties and hospitals will somehow make the world more peaceful. Okay, I realize that the intelligence of quite a few Americans is sub par, but how stupid does one have to be to think that killing brings about peace. I still remember the motto on the sign above the entry to Grand Forks air base: Peace is our Profession. I was only 17 when I joined the military, but even I was wise enough to recognize the stupidity in that statement.
It is somewhat refreshing to see that the typical negative campaigning doesn’t seem to be working as well this time around. Oh sure, there are still folks like my parents, who believe what they are fed by the corporate media, but after over seven years of the rule by the worst president ever (come on, is there really any doubt about that anymore?) a large number of Americans have woken up and thankfully Barack Obama is running a different sort of campaign that taps into that new found consciousness. When Hillary went into a bar in Pennsylvania and threw back a shot and a beer, most folks saw it for what is was: pandering. When Bush took his jabs at Obama, while speaking in a foreign country, even the mainstream media cried foul.
And then we have governor/pastor Huckabee joking at a recent NRA event, after hearing some noise in the background, that it was Barack Obama ducking because someone had aimed a gun at him. This was Huckabee’s attempt at humor during an event meant to denigrate the democrat’s stand on owning firearms. I remember when Huckabee was still in the news as a semi-viable candidate my parents saying that he was a “good man.” A good man and a pastor who jokes at an NRA function about someone taking a shot at an African-American candidate for president. Hmmm.
But enough about the news items that make me fume. If you’re at all media savvy then you have probably seen the old footage of Bill O’Reilly blowing a gasket at stagehands when he was the host of Inside Edition. What you may not have seen is the uncut footage. Well here it is:
