Holiday Grab Bag

It's been way too long since I did a Grab Bag. To be honest, since my guy won the election I haven't really felt the urge to be mean. Sure, I have noticed things that have driven me up a mother fucking tree but any such annoyances are quickly washed away by uttering the magic three words:

President Elect Obama.

But, as luck would have it, the last couple of weeks have been extra special bowls of Campbell Soup so I think I now have just the right combination of venom, irritation, and semen to revisit some of the things that have really pissed me recently. Happy Christmas!

THE J WORD

A friend of mine and I were walking through the Eden Prairie Mall recently and having a conversation. We passed by a mother and two kids, roughly around 9 and 7.

Friend: I can't stand that guy.
Mark: Yeah, he's a real jerk.
9 Year Old: Gasp! Mommy, he said the J word!
Mommy: Just move away quickly from that serial rapist/murderer, son. Get away! GET AWAY! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

As they scurried away in apparent fear, I wondered to my friend if the J word really meant the word jerk. "Beats me," he replied. I passed the whole thing off as me misreading things...as I often do:)

About a week later, I was at the Big 10-a restaurant here in Minneapolis. There was a family of five eating dinner and I was by myself-grabbing one of their great subs while studying. One of the kids said that he heard another kid at school use the J word. The dad told his son that the kid who uttered that word would be thrown into a boiling pit of sewage for eternal damnation. The smallest of the three kids asked quite loudly, "What's the J word?" To which the mother whispered, loud enough so I could hear, "Jerk. And don't you ever use that word or call anyone that. Keep your voice down."

Being the person that you all know and love, I turned to them and asked, "Since when is the word 'jerk' such a bad word?"

The parents looked at me as if I had just asked their children to videotape their mom swallowing one of their Dad's bowel movements (coming directly out of his butt and into her mouth) while I fucked her in the ass.

After they recovered from their astonishment, they replied, "The J Word is the meanest word in the world. It is a terrible, awful word that no one should ever EVER use. Please leave us alone."

I turned back to my homework, not dignifying them with a response and shaking my head at the sad fucking state our society has become. Now, I know for sure that there are plenty of you who laughed your asses off at what I wrote two paragraphs above this one. To be certain, there is one woman in Aurora, Illinois who just peed her pants. But there are probably many of you out there who were massively offended at what I wrote. By our society's standards, it was, in fact, offensive. I have no problem with that.

But....the J word? Really?

Have we become so vanilla, so PC, so terribly lame that we can't even call someone a jerk anymore? The word is universally accepted everywhere...even in G rated movies or films from the 1940s for cripes sakes....as being alright to call someone who cuts in front of you in line. Or steals a kid's ice cream cone. Or who won't use the butt crack to wipe it off before it goes back up into her mouth. Or who laughs at you when you are trying to push your car out of the snow.

Well, maybe the third one on the above list is more a common courtesy issue than jerk behavior but you get my point. I am so sick of this culture and its completely ridiculous and massively uptight rules about language. I feel like I am being shackled and thrown into an ever shrinking prison cell of what is acceptable discourse and I fucking hate it. Words can be made into anything they want. Say the word 'fuck' enough and it loses its appeal. I use it all the time and I don't have a single thought about it. It's just a word and it can mean anything you want it to mean.

Take, for example, the word 'chair.' In a recent discussion with an abnormally uptight individual who gets his jollies heaping and piling more restrictions on language, I told him that every time I said the word chair, I thought of a giant cock going into a big fat chick's ass. I then proceeded to say the word chair seventeen times over the course of the next two minutes. He became flabbergasted and cried, "I'll never use the word chair again" to which I replied,

"See? Now you know how I feel."

MEN THAT WON'T DO WHAT?

A couple of summers ago, I fixed up a female friend of mine (very hot) with a male friend of mine. About a month and a half into the relationship, she called me up and said, "What the fuck is up with your boy?" I asked her what she meant. "He won't fuck me." She then continued to tell me that he just liked to cuddle and kiss.

Now, normally I have no problem with this...some people like to wait. He just didn't seem the type, though, and when I asked him if he liked my friend and thought she was hot, he said, "Oh, yeah." Okkkkkaaaayyy....

Bit by bit over the course of the last two years, I have had woman after woman complain to me that their boyfriends/husbands/dates don't fuck them. Some go weeks...months...even YEARS without having their man make love to them. Excuse me?

In fact, it has gotten to be so many women (at least a couple dozen), that I'd like to know if I have slipped into an alternate universe...a universe where men are fucking lame. It goes without saying that women have traditionally been the ones to withhold sex. The fact that it continues is a bummer but a sadly universally accepted truth. But men? As I heard story after story, the rage inside of me began to build.

What the fuck is the matter with these d bags!!!???

Perhaps it is for religious reasons although none of the men I have met who have this problem strike me as church goers.

Perhaps they are gay and don't know it. Fine. Go suck some cock and stop wasting your time fucking with hot chick's minds.

Or perhaps (and very likely) it has to do with video games, the easy chair, the flat screen, fantasy football, Mountain Dew, Coors Light and mother fucking Cheetos. Men are just flat out lazy and have gotten use to a lifestyle that requires minimal or no effort. There seems to be no set age range in this group of twats. I have had woman complain about these men in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s. I have talked to some of these men and they offer many excuses.

"I'm just tired. It's too much effort."
"I really need a nap when I get home from work and then after that I am just shot."
"I just got a new video game."
"My fantasy football league had a late meeting and I ate too many cheese sticks."
"I'm hungry."
"Waaaah."

Believe it or not, this barely scratches the surface of the problem. There is also a group of men, mainly ages 19-29, who refuse to eat pussy. I know...I know...please calm down. You might have to be calm for me because right after I wrote the second sentence of this paragraph I wanted to go out to the garage and get my shovel for an Albert Pujols swing right to the forehead of these suckditches.

Apparently, they just think it's gross or have a general principle (largely generated by social pressure) not to do it. To say that this offends me as man, as a lover, as a devotee of chowing box is the understatement of the fucking millennium. If you don't eat pussy, you are a suckwad. If you don't take care of your woman, you are a complete loser.

Dude, it's a chick's ass and vag...is there anything hotter?

If anyone has any other ideas as to why this disturbing new trend of men being mega lame is occurring, please post them in comments because, even with the ideas listed above, I still don't fucking get it.

WHEELS ON BACKPACKS

I was at the gym the other day and I saw a woman wheeling her tennis bag behind her. In her small bag was....one tennis racket...and as far as I could see that was it. Now I suppose it is slightly possible that she had a 20 pound weight in there but really the bag was so small (it looked like a child's bag) that I'm sure she just had some tennis balls maybe and some personal items.

At my children's school, I see kids with backpacks that have wheels on them. Sure, some might have heavy books but (cue grumpy old man voice) when I was a kid, we carried our heavy backpacks on our back. Have we become so lazy in this culture that we now have to wheel minimally weighted bags around like it's a 50 pound suitcase packed for a week long trip to Hawaii?

The answer is yes....yes we have.

And people wonder why America is falling behind in the world.

VISORS

Look at this geek. Is there a way to gather all of the visors in the world and burn them? Visors are fucking stupid. About the only group of people that can pull of visors are women, especially the ones with long hair.

Men of any shape or size should not be wearing a visor. The fat bald ones who wear them look like morons. Bottom line (re: George Carlin): it's half a hat. Take it back to the store, say you were ripped off, and buy a real fucking baseball cap.

Dorkwad.


LANYARDS

I guess the new millennial look for 17-21 year old women is in and it is this: T Shirt (preferably athletic themed), men's athletic shorts (preferably knee length), sandals (even in winter), hair tied up, and a fucking stupid ass lanyard around their necks with their keys, ID, iPod, birth control, lipstick, and whatever else they can fit on their because they don't have any pockets in their shorts and don't want to carry a purse so they can look all tricked out with that 'just come from the gym or pool' look.

There was a period of time a few months back when, quite literally, every young woman I met looked exactly like this. It was as if they had been churned out in a factory....manufactured by the thousands. Whatever happened to originality? It was murdered...killed by the lanyard!

And finally, for those of you who have commented to me in the past (via email, comments, phone calls, or personal contact) that I need to be more positive...have no fear! I may be extra curmudgeonly of late but I still plan on putting up my annual Best of 2008 before the end of the year.

Stay Tuned!

Will Everyone Please Calm Down?

Taking a break from politics and turning to sports, people in my home state are once again making the mistake of thinking the Vikings are going to go somewhere in the playoffs. Yes, I know they need one win or one Bears loss and they win the division but let's not break out the big ass drum of boiling oil and have ourselves a clam bake yet.

Only true Vikings fans know (as nearly as long suffering as Cubs fans), they are going to take a dump in these last few weeks. If it's not in the regular season, it will be in the first round of playoffs. So, please, stop with the over hyper predictions of Brad "Denny's Menu" Childress taking this team to the Super Bowl and winning.

It is not going to happen.

My Guy

He's done it again.

President Elect Barack Obama has once again shown what this country is going to start looking like during his presidency. By selecting evangelical Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, our soon to be president has shown that we are not all divided and that many of us, regardless of our political stripes, share common beliefs.

While the left squawks (and man oh man are they squawking-hilarious:)) about Warren's anti gay and pro life beliefs, a more reasoned mind can look at Pastor Warren's beliefs and action regarding world poverty and social injustice. He believes, as I do, that it is every Christian's duty to fight against these two things and make whatever sacrifices are possible to end them.

I also think that Pastor Warren really challenged PE Obama's way of thinking on several issues when he was at the Saddleback debate last summer. If you look at PE Obama's life, these are the kind of people that he has surrounded himself with...people with diverse points of view who will take him to the mat and help him learn and grow. I'm sure Mr. Obama, being the reflective man that he is, realized how unimpressive he was in that discussion last summer and felt that Pastor Warren is someone from whom he could learn.

And it is a great move politically. Evangelicals, some of which believed the paranoid and delusional propaganda that has come out about PE Obama over the last 2 years, can now look at him in a different light. Maybe he's not a terrorist-Muslim-communist-pinko-socialist-baby killer-ultra left wing maniac as we have been lead to believe.

As I have said previously and ad naseaum, Barack Obama is going to piss off the left more than he is the right. So far he is right on track to do that.

That's my guy!

Liberal Media Watch

For being "puppets" of Barack Obama, MSNBC and the New York Times sure have a funny way of showing it. Both have been beating the Governor Blagojovich story into the ground even going as far as teaming up by interviewing each other on what could actually be in the "secret" documents that are going to be released next week regarding the ongoing investigation.

In fact, several anchors on MSNBC as well as reporters for the Times have said that President Elect Obama is answering questions in a manner similar to President Bush. Whether or not you agree that is true, it is kind of a head scratcher considering what the "all media are agin' us" crowd on the right are saying about both of these news organizations.

Ah, well...best not think about it too much. It's been a hard few weeks for some folks on the right and we all know how they need to have their enemies...even if they are, in no way, real.

White Folk Are All A-Feared (cuz he's a comin')

Earlier this week, the Star Tribune ran an article regarding how gun sales have picked up since Barack Obama was elected president. I have tried, very hard, all week to write a column about this but every time I start typing, I start laughing. In fact, I laugh so uncontrollably that my hands and fingers fly around my office, gripping my stomach in the pain of losing oxygen, and I nearly pass out!

After I calm down, one word pops immediately into my head which accurately describes the people that are rushing out to buy weaponry.

SUCKERS.

The NRA and other gun lobbyists are clearly exaggerating Obama's anti gun stance to make more money. And they have a whole line of chuckleheads that are willing to believe anything they say. As Sue Fust puts it in the article:

The anti-Obama vitriol has been a fear-mongering tactic that encourages some very fringe folks who are paranoid and convinced that the United States government will really need to be overthrown one day by citizens with guns. This helps to sell firearms. It is therefore important for those selling guns who want to make money to either try to create new markets or increase sales to existing gun owners.

No shit. I guess Obama's line about clinging to guns and religion may have been more astute than originally thought. Thankfully, not all gun owners are are losing their marbles.

Considering all the problems the country faces, "you have to wonder how high a priority [guns] will be," Joel Rosenberg (local gun enthusiast) said. "It's going to cost millions of dollars" to institute new gun laws, "and how much political capital is he willing to spend right away? I'm telling people who ask, 'Don't do anything you wouldn't do anyway,'" he said. "If you were already thinking of getting a carry permit or ... a semiautomatic, well, maybe go ahead and do it."

No shit. And thank you, Joel for being sane.

Intelligent Minds Think Alike

Check out this video from CNN's web site.

Note to Rush: Buh Bye....

And isn't all of it exactly what I have been saying for the last....um...forever?

Check Out This Blog

My friend, Melissa Lynn, has started her own blog. She writes some pretty intense and wonderful prose.

Click here to check it out. Leave comments as she would much appreciate it!

Freddie Did What?

Remember all that talk in psycho conservative land about how Freddie Mac was all fucked up because the government was running the show? Well, it turns out (as it often does) that was all a big, steamy pile of shit.

In records obtained by the Associated Press, Freddie Mac fended off regulation by (gasp!) paying off a bunch of people in Washington to keep the government off their backs. Internal Freddie Mac budget records show $11.7 million was paid to 52 outside lobbyists and consultants in 2006. Power brokers such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were recruited with six-figure contracts. Freddie Mac paid the following amounts to the firms of former Republican lawmakers or ex-GOP staffers in 2006:

-Sen. Alfonse D'Amato of New York, at Park Strategies, $240,000.

-Rep. Vin Weber of Minnesota, at Clark & Weinstock, $360,297.

-Rep. Susan Molinari of New York, at Washington Group, $300,062.

-Susan Hirschmann at Williams & Jensen, former chief of staff to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, $240,790.

The tactics worked - for a time. Freddie Mac was able to operate with a relatively free hand until the housing bubble ultimately burst in 2007. The internal Freddie Mac documents also show that 17 of the lobbying firms and consultants paid in 2006 were specifically directed to focus on Republicans and four on Democrats, with varying targets for the rest.

So, can someone...some conservative someone who has been bemoaning too much government interference as the cause of all our financial woes...explain to me how less regulation is the answer when it seems like less regulation was the intent and goal that got us into trouble in the first place?

Retribution

On February 25, 2003, General Eric Ken Shinsecki testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the invasion of Iraq. When asked about the size of force required, he responded

I would say that what's been mobilized to this point -- something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers are probably, you know, a figure that would be required. We're talking about post hostilities control over a piece of geography that's fairly significant, with the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems. And so it takes a significant ground-force presence.

Shortly afterward, then SecDef Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Sec Paul Wolfowitz called Shinsecki's estimate "far off the mark" and "wildly off the mark" repsectively. Wolfowitz went on to say that it was "hard to believe" that more troops, than the 150,000 that he and Rumsfeld recommended, would be required to stabilize Iraq.

Five years later....Rumsfeld was asked to resign after the 2006 elections, Wolfowitz resigned in disgrace as President of the World Bank, and General Eric Ken Shinsecki is President Elect Barack Obama's pick to be Secretary of Veteran's Affairs.

It just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

This Just In: Hell Frozen Over

Earlier this week, my staunch conservative and evangelical friend at the gym walked over to me and said the following:

"I'm happy to be wrong."

For a moment I thought I was in a parallel universe in which men flew, cars ran on garbage, and commenters on Kevin Baker's blog were rational. I asked him what he meant and what exactly he was wrong about. He went on to tell me how happy he was that President Elect Barack Obama picked James Jones to be National Security Adviser. He repeated how wrong he was about Obama being "soft" on military issues and even went as far to say that it was a better pick than Condeleeza Rice. Wow!

It does my heart proud to see this type of reflection coming from someone who I thought incapable of looking inward. It gives me...hope:)

Send in the Marines...Finally!

As I have told many of my conservative friends over the last few months, President Elect Obama is no softie when it comes to the security of this nation. In fact, I think there are going to be many ways in which he will be tougher (and clearly smarter) than President Bush when it comes to taking out Al Qaeda.

I realize this goes against all of the right wing propaganda out there about Barack Obama, surely eliciting the usual EEP! BLURP! QUARK! from some brainwashed minds, but with the nomination of former Marine Commandant James Jones (to the right of President Elect Obama and Senator Clinton in the photo) to be National Security Advisor, it is now a fact that our next president is determined to take out those who would use terror as a weapon.

In addition to being a 40 year Marine veteran, Jones has served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and as Special Envoy to the Middle East. He also acted as key advisor to President Bush early in his first administration. Jones is a Republican and has been described by many as a "warrior-diplomat." That is exactly what we need right now...someone who has the intellect to defeat the enemy in addition to being a blunt instrument, which is what ALL marines are.

This pick sends a message to Al Qaeda in Pakistan: Your days are numbered. With the head of the marines (and PE Obama) calling for months for a troop redeployment to Afghanistan, I think we can safely predict a major strategy shift in that part of the world. Factor in the recent attacks in India and there is no doubt in my mind that our future president is going to be pretty darned hawkish in the region.

With his plate full of economic woes, the pick of Jones, the continuance of Gates tenure as SecDef, and the choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, President Elect Obama has a team in place rife with experience and knowledge. He can spend more of his time trying to get our financial difficulties straightened out and rest easy knowing that the marines are on the job.

It's about fucking time.

A Quitter?

Of all of the things I have written about President George W. Bush, I never thought I would write the following line: He is a quitter.

I could always rely on W to be the "decider guy" out there making all the bonehead moves he has made over the years. But to give up? Nah, say it ain't so.

Well, it is. With two months left in his presidency and in the middle of the worst economic crisis this nation has seen since The Great Depression, George Bush has basically handed the keys to Barack Obama. Never mind the fact that, by law, he has to serve us until January 20th.

As we have seen for the last eight years, Bush has no clue what the fuck is going on. His incompetence in handling this crisis is monumental and so, rather than trot out his usual propaganda of "everything is fine, don't believe your eyes," he has elected to head on down the road to pasture.

Because he knows that everything is not fine and it is probably going to get worse. And, by and large, it is his fault for mainly doing nothing (due to the fact that he knows nothing) and partially thinking, erroneously, that the free market would take care of itself.

So, I guess his complete and utter failure is now complete....well, except for the 24 percent of the country (see the real "victim culture" on the right) who think it is all someone else's fault. I guess it's time for someone who is actually competent to clean up the mess. The cynic in me wonders if he can.

That Darned Commie!

Well, President Elect Obama has really done it this time. He went and nominated Timothy Gethiner to be the new Treasury Secretary. Gethiner is currently the President of the New York Federal Reserve. He is also the Vice Chariman of the Federal Open Market Committee. He started his career working for Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm, then moved on to work under George Bush Sr. in the treasury department. Geithner then moved on to work for the Council on Foreign Relations, a conservative foreign policy think tank.

Add all this up and what do you get? Our future president is looking for someone more pragmatic to run the Treasury. Someone who, perhaps, doesn't believe the government should fund business. Someone who will probably do a good job.

Sadly, though...

Add all this up in looney land and what do you get? Communist! Pinko! Stealer of my money! I want my money! Wah!!!

Well, at least those are just a few of the comments I have heard thus far since the announcement of Gethiner's appointment. Ah well, as long as they continue to make sense:)

A Great Reason To Own An Arsenal

Recently, in comments, a debate sprang up on why anyone would "need" an assault rifle. After reading this article in the Monitor, I think the reason why I would want one makes itself quite clear.

Heck the photo of the D bag alone is reason enough.

Oh, So Sad...

This is bloody priceless.

I have a friend who was an election judge on November 4th. When they opened up the absentee ballots from military bases around the world, including Iraq, the Republican representatives went berserk. Apparently, President Elect Obama (something I try to say at least 10 times a day these days) received many more votes than Senator McCain. And the Republicans couldn't take it.

EEP! BLURP! QUARK! Military loves all Republicans. EEP! SPLAT! All soldiers love only conservatives. EEP! BLURP! SMACK! Poison gas...can't breathe...EEP! ZAP!

Something tells me there's going to be a lot more cognitive dissonance in the next few months. Imagine what will happen if (Gasp!) President Elect Obama actually succeeds at something.

EEP! BLURP! He actually failed. EEP! BLURP! He is evil. Don't believe your eyes. EEP! BLURP! Muslim terrorist EEP! BLURP!

Why Is She Still Around?

Sarah Palin seems to be everywhere. I realize she is the flavor of the month but the election is over and her side lost. Yet, she acts as if it is Dec 2011 and the Iowa caucuses are one month off. She has been giving interview after interview on all the major news networks. President Elect Obama hasn't even taken office yet!!!

Andy, over at Electoral-Vote.com, has a good take on this.

In an interview with Fox's Greta Van Susteren, Sarah Palin has said she is open to running for President in 2012 if God shows her the way. This remark demonstrates her inexperience. The protocol for running for President dictates that you do not express any interest in the job before the midterms. The correct answer (which she didn't give) was: "Greta, now that the election is over I am going back to Alaska and will be entirely focused on being the best possible governor that I can be for the great and wonderful people of Alaska. My term expires in 2010, and with God's help, I will make a decision about my future in 2010." The problem with announcing now is that her opponents (and she has plenty of them) will have ample time to carefully plot their strategy for making her look bad before the primaries even start.

Palin's exact quote, regarding God, was this.

I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door. And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door.

I'm like, OK...wondering why seemingly, like, intelligent people on the right, like, still think she is, like qualified and junk.

Whither The Republicans...

Tim Pawlenty, governor of my home state of Minnesota, delivered a speech yesterday at the Governor's Convention in Florida, in which he raised several key points regarding the future of the Republican Party. The essential jist of what he said was that Republicans must change or face irrelevancy. I couldn't agree with him more.

Unfortunately, when it comes to change, Republicans have an incredibly hard time. Their party's ideology has essentially become so set in deep granite that any kind of movement seems impossible. In fact, the center piece of their platform is to be as immovable as possible.

So, I would like to know, as does Governor Pawlenty, how exactly are the Republicans going to be far sighted on issues like energy, health care, and education? How, specifically, are they going to broaden their appeal to working class families and small business owners as Mr. Pawlenty suggested is vital?

When one looks at all of these issues, as I have said many times over the last few years, the Republicans completely and utterly lack any kind of forward thinking. In energy, it's "Drill Baby Drill" which is akin to a person, in 1988, saying "We must expand the use of the typewriter." With health care, it's "Fuck you, get your own damn health care" and "Let's make all of my pals in the industry more wealthy by ripping people off." With education, it's "let's censor all that commie pinko bullshit and tell the story of the 'real America.'"

The worst, by far, is their "appeal" to working class families. Essentially the only thing working class families have gotten from the GOP is a giant sucking sound of all their money going to pad the linings of the oil industry, the defense industry, pharmaceuticals, the insurance industry, and HMOs. The cost of living has gone up and wages haven't risen to meet the demand of these new prices. The largest transfer of wealth in the history of the world has occurred under the direction of the Republican Party. Why on earth would the middle class want to support them? More to the point, the Republican's raison d'etre is fuck the little guy over and make damn sure that they have all the toys.

I applaud Governor Pawlenty for at least taking a step towards admitting things must change for the elephants but I think he is incredibly naive to think that it is even possible.

When the only tool in your tool kit is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Really? Fox News?

Is Fox News jumping on the Obama bandwagon? Or are they center right like all of my conservative friends say they are?

I do know that Rush Limbaugh has called Karl Cameron a traitor now that this story has come out. So...a traitor is someone who calls out Sarah Palin for being ignorant?

Given this new information, I want to go on record here at Notes From the Front and say that I think that Sarah Palin should be the Republican nominee in 2012.

In fact, I am praying for it.

Cheese Slowly Slipping Off Cracker

My ol' buddy Matt used to have a phrase for people that were loony. He would say that "their cheese has slipped off their cracker." Well, folks, I think conservatives' cheese has slowly been slipping off their cracker after Barack Obama's victory last week. I have selected a few choice quotes from various emails and conversations over the course of the last week for your reading pleasure.

"Our country is now going to descend into communism."

This one was from my uncle. He is completely and utterly serious. He thinks that this is actually going to happen. He has also convinced his wife, my mom's younger sister, that this is true and she has been physically ill for the last week...unable to eat or sleep. She has also had a non stop headache. Both of them believe that Obama is going to destroy our country by installing a communist regime with himself as supreme leader.

"There go all of my guns. "
"I am going to buy as many guns as I can before HE is sworn in."
"I just bought ten guns and I am going to hide them so Barack Obama can't find them."

These were three emails I received on Wednesday morning after the election. While President Elect Obama has called to ban certain types of assault rifles, I have yet to see him express an interest in any bans on shotguns, rifles, hand guns, and many other weapons let alone going house to house and confiscating guns.

"He is going to hand the keys of the country to terrorists."

Beginning to sense a theme here? I had at least five emails with similar themes. Hmm...let's see....worst terrorist attack occurs on Bush's watch....bin Laden and Zawahari at large....Al Qaeda stronger than ever....Bush beholden to Saudi oil men which churns out terrorists like play doh...and they think Obama is going to be worse? Their paranoia knows no bounds.

"More babies are going to die."

Yes, that's right. Barack Obama kills babies. Really? Seriously think about fucking stupid that sounds. Talk about hyper overreaction and, in no way, anything close to reality as Obama has done more to bring down the abortion rate through his support of sex education programs.

"There goes all of my money."

As opposed to all of the money you have now as a result of the stellar management of the economy by the Bush Administration. Let me see if I can be clear on this one...THEY TOOK ALL OF YOUR MONEY YOU FUCKING MORON! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO VOTE FOR THEM?!?

Perhaps the me of a few years ago would've gloated and enjoyed watching these people descend into madness. Instead, I find it to be extremely frustrating, and somewhat sickening, that they are so bloody brainwashed that they can't think clearly. Even sadder is that there is no reasoning with them. They don't want to calm down. They want to remain in a constant state of fear and pants soiling. They are beyond reasoning.

So, what do we do?

From the Notes From The Front Middle East Bureau....

Our Girl Friday posted this in comments. I wanted to bring it out front.

May God Bless America, and you Mr new President . . who are the peoples' choice and with your new team, their hope for a reality, truth & humanity based, better future.

Amen, soul sister.

The Dream Realized

I don't think there are many words to say today.

It's still sinking in. I can't believe it.

It took 45 years and much pain and heartache but Dr. King's dream has been fulfilled.

In the 41 years I have lived on this planet, I have never been more proud of our country.

Predictions and Prognostications

What is going to happen tomorrow? I'm sure all of you are waiting with bated breath as to who I think is going to win.

Baring any Republican election tomfoolery, I think Barack Obama is going to win the US Presidential Election tomorrow. I predict he will win 311 electoral votes to McCain's 191. He will win all the states Kerry won in 2004 and take Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada-all states that Bush won in 2004. McCain will eke out Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota but not by much. Many of those states will have Democratic victories in the Senate and the House as a result of the turnout for him.

In the Senate, I predict the Dems will have 59 and the Repubs will have 41. The 59 includes Liebermann. So, which state put the Dems to 59? Minnesota or Georgia. I have to admit I am torn. I would love to see Saxby Chambliss, last seen accusing Max Clelland (wheel chair bound Vietnam vet) of being best buds with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, kicked out on his fat fucking ass. But I do live in Minnesota and have had just about enough of Norm "swing with the wind" Coleman. Both races are too tight for me to call but I do predict that one of them will go Dem.

The House will get to 250 for the Dems. I predict that El Tinklenberg is going to beat Michelle Bachmann (thank God!) in the Sixth. The race in the Third is just too damn close for me to call for my guy, Aswhin Madia. If you want him to win, get out and vote. The turnout for Obama may help him over the top.

Remember, people died for your right to vote. Regardless of who you vote for, to not vote at all because you are a lazy douche bag is completely unacceptable.

Go Vote!

Sunday Reflection

At church today, I scanned the news and notes section of the program and found something interesting. Every week, our pastor writes a column called "Pastor's Pen." This week, he brought up the election and some things to consider as we all went out and voted on Tuesday. Here was his first item.

Helping the poor and disenfranchised. With over 2000 specific passages in the Bible that address our responsibility to care for and empower those on the margins of society, we must put this at the top of the list. It's pretty clear Jesus did.

I find this statement to be quite interesting considering the latest attack on Obama, from the right, regarding how he wants to spread the wealth. I thought the conservative base followed the teachings of Christ? Based on their comments regarding Senator Obama, I guess they don't.

I realize that their stock answer is that they don't want the government to be the entity to re-distribute wealth. Alright, who then? Who has the power to help people as much as the US government? President Bush, for all of this many faults and bullshit, has made a difference in Africa with his AIDS and malaria program. On some small level, he understands what Christ really meant by caring for and empowering those in need.

To be honest, I don't even hear conservatives wanting to help anyone at all...even through private organizations. They lament helping anyone at all as if doing so somehow continues to degrade our culture. I find many of the things that have been said to me and to Senator Obama over the last few weeks to be insulting and morally reprehensible.

How could they miss over 2000 references to what all of us need to do to improve our country and the world? More to the point, what the fuck is the matter with them?

Really?

A couple of weeks back, some conservative commenters directed me to a story about Ashwin Madia campaign workers taking down Erik Pauslen yard signs. It seems there was a dispute over whether the property was public or private so it may or may not have been out of line.

There's also been a lot of talk recently in comments about how Democrats are just as bad as Republicans when it comes to playing dirty. That may have been true at one time in our country's history...in fact, I would say that Democrats were dirtier on a multitude of levels for a much longer period of time...but it is not true today. The Republicans, in their current form, are complete scumbags.

Take a look at this story from KARE 11. A recent attack ad (see: Willie Horton) against Aswhin Madia show that his skin was purposefully darkened to make him look....what?....more evil? Because people with darker skin are more evil?

Aswhin Madia does have darker skin, being the son of immigrants from India, but what does it say about a party that wants to exaggerate that?

Of course, I could call it racist but the right has been very successful at being able to deflect accusations of racism combining "Who? Me?" faux innocence with their usual fervent vitriol.

Whatever you want to call it, that's a pretty far cry from lawn sign tom foolery.

Time For The Smelling Salts

Each day as the election draws nearer, the wing nuts on the right become more and more rabid. Like the madmen being quietly lead into the asylum, frothing at the mouth and screaming about socialism, their time to be put out to pasture is near. I think someone needs to stick some smelling salts underneath their collective noses in the hopes that they will come back to some level of sanity.

A recent column by Michael Malone perfectly illustrates this. It was brought to my attention in comments so I checked it out. The "golden" tidbit that has arisen from his column is a story about a video that the LA Times refuses to release showing Barack Obama having "dinner" with and praising PLO supporter and "radical" Rashid Khalidi, who happens to be one of them Marxist professors at Columbia University (aka Communist University). The blog sphere of loonies is screaming about the liberal media, communism, and every single mom's apple pie being shit on by a bunch of dirty Arabs.

The LA Times won't release it due to confidentiality of a source. Well, I say the LA Times should release the video. People need to see exactly what happened at these dinners...with all these smart people and stuff...talking about smart things...and trying to make the world...smarter. Yeah, let's see some of that shit.

And while they're at it, why don't they talk about the International Republican Institute of which John McCain still chairs? You know the one I am talking about. The organization that gave Center for Palistinian Studies, WHICH RASHID KHALIDI FOUNDED, about a half a million dollars in 1998. Yeah, let's talk about that as well.

But, hey, let's not stop there. Why don't we take a little trip in the way back machine and revisit this oldie but goodie.
I wonder...what would happen if a picture of Barack Obama holding hands with the Saudi Crown Prince came out? Hmm....just think about that one for a little bit.

All done? I know...I know...some right wingers reading this are probably having the EEP-ZAP--QUARK--BLURP going on right now in their brains. It can't be...Obama terrorist....McCain gave money....no...Bush holding hands...ZIP--QUARK-BLURP-ZAP--EEP

You get the picture. Pretty pathetic at this point, isn't it?

So, if you folks on the right want to talk about associations with people and organizations that you find objectionable, please let's talk about them.

C'mon, I fucking dare you!

There Goes The Fear

I wasn't quite sure what to write about this week...been feeling under the weather the last couple of days. But then I got this email, from a conservative fan, which perfectly illustrates the meltdown of the conservative hard drive.

How can you vote for this???? This goes against everything you have ever told me about your want for the strength of this country???

Just curious. I have probably opened up a can of worms but I am at a loss.

---

Subject: Fw: This Will Scare You

PLEASE READ COMPLETELY!!!

This doesn't scare me - It horrifies, terrifies and pisses me Off!!!!!!!! As I have told many of my friends, how can we elect a president who doesn't LIKE the USA!!!!

No wonder he's got the endorsement of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran & the Nation of Islam!

Subject: This Will Scare You

Perhaps there are SOME out there who are beginning to get 'the picture'. The following is a narrative taken from Sunday Morning's televised 'Meet The Press'. and the author is employed by none other than the Washington Post!! Yeah......the Washington Post of New York and Los Angeles Times fame!! Must say that I'm dually impressed.................. From Sunday's Televised 'Meet the Press' Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag. Obama Explains National Anthem Stance Sun, 07 Sept. 2008 11:48:04 EST, General Bill Ginn' USAF (ret.) asked Obama to explain why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played. The General also stated to the Senator that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171... During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. At the very least, 'Stand and Face It' Senator Obama Live on Sunday states, 'As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides, Obama said. 'There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.'We should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love. It's my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren. If we as a Nation of warring people, should conduct ourselves as the nations of Islam, whereas peace prevails. Perhaps a state or period of mutual concord between our governments. When I become President, I will seek a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation have placed upon the nations of Islam an unfair injustice. My wife disrespects the Flag for many personal reasons. Together she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past, many years ago. She has her views and I have mine'. Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put aside my hatred. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path of hope. My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country's First Family. Indeed, CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right. This could possibly be our next President. I, for one, am speechless. Dale Lindsborg, Washington Post _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Here was my email back... The email you have sent me is a lie. It is yet another example of the right wing hate and propaganda machine spreading falsehoods about Senator Obama. In fact, that is all the current form of the Republican Party seems to be about these days, which I find to be very sad. They are playing to your fear, ...a fear that is completely unfounded in reality. Here is an explanation of the lie. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.asp I think you need to take a very critical look at the people you have supported over your life and question them. For whatever reason, you believe their lies continually and adhere to an outdated and ignorant belief system that is not grounded on ability or intellect but fervent ideology....an ideology that has very nearly destroyed our country. You told me in 2000 and 2004 that Bush would make things better and keep us safe. Take a look at where we are now. As I have predicted, we are hated more than ever in the world, the people responsible for 9-11 are still alive and flourishing, our infrastructure is crumbling, we have health care system that is awful, education system that leaves everyone behind, and an economy that is doing about as well as all the companies that Bush ran before he became president....poor. They really haven't helped you out. In fact, they have hurt your life personally. You should pass this on to your co-workers. One of the main reasons why the housing market and financial services industry are so screwed up right now is because many Republican Senators, including John McCain, overturned the Glass Steagall Act of 1933 with the passage of Graham Leach Bliley in 1999. President Clinton signed this bill so he is also to blame. The one item that has been kept alive from Glass Steagall is FDIC. Bottom line, if it weren't for the spirit of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, you may not be able to get money out of your bank right now. Think about that when you vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin next Tuesday, a man who had a hand in personally causing you financial distress and a woman who is the most under qualified person ever to be nominated as vice president let alone president. Think about the fact that a man, FDR, who acted much further towards socialism than Senator Obama ever will, had the foresight, knowledge, and business savvy to keep all of our money protected. Mark _________________________________________________________________________ I am reminded of a robot, from a 1950s Sci Fi film, that is malfunctioning. EEP! Blurp! Obama-terrorist- EEp-Endorsed by Hamas-EEP-quark-Wants to burn us all in the pits of hell-eep-blurp--ignore unpleasant factsies--eeep--spit---your eyes deceive you--eep--obama will destroy us all--eep---Obama will destroy---urp--Obama will--eerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Thank God, someone is about to shut that fucking thing off so we can actually start solving problems in this country as opposed to placating a fervent ideology that actually adds to them

Jimmy...:)

Normally I'm not a big fan of James Carville but this line is freakin' Hi-larious!

The reason the Republicans found Joe the Plumber was to find someone hanging around a toilet other than Larry Craig.

Mega.

This Is SOOOOOO True

I just got this email from a reader. Hilarious:)

Don't you have to give McCain credit? For a man who graduated at the bottom of his class he married a woman worth 100 million and has been a US Senator for years. Wouldn't you have to say that he has done remarkably well?

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?.....think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different? More importantly, how do you think the "liberal media" would paint this picture?

Ponder the following:

• What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
• What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
• What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
• What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
• What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
• What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
• What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
• What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
• What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
• What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
• What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
• What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
• What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Buh-Bye

Well, you probably thought I'd never say this but I have to...thank god for the Republican Party. Apparently someone in their congressional re-election campaign has some sense of decency as they have pulled their funding for TV ads for Michelle Bachmann in MN-06. Her comments were completely ludicrous and it gives me hope that some on the right are calling her on her bullshit.

Maybe we are finally starting to turn the corner...

A Clever and Fiendish Plot

Yesterday, MN-06 Rep Michelled Bachmann offered what is probably the best we are going to get, in the way of an apology, in regards to her comments about Barack Obama having anti American views. She said she was wrong for what she said but that it was a "trap" laid by evil media liberal Chris Matthews and she made the mistake of walking into to it.

Notice, once again, how we see that it is never the fault of the conservative entirely. Oh no. That can't ever be possible. There is always someone else to blame (see: the non victim victim culture of douche bag land) in this case the liberal media.

Take a look at the clip below. Her comments come 5 minutes and 34 seconds into the interview. Tell me exactly how she walked into a trap. She was excited and...dare I say it...jubilant at the idea of answering Matthews' question.

So much for a group of people that tauts taking responsibility for their actions.

Bachmann on Hardball

The End

Last Friday night on Hardball on MSNBC, Chris Matthews asked his guest, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann from MN-06, if Barack Obama had anti American views. She answered yes and then went on to call for an investigation, by the media and Congress, of people in government who have anti American views.

48 hours after her remarks, her Democratic opponent in MN-06, Elwyn Tinklenberg, raised $640,000. While Tinklenberg was raking in the coin, General Colin Powell made a comment about her, right after he endorsed Barack Obama on Meet The Press, saying that sort of divisiveness accomplishes nothing and is simply flat out wrong.

I think someone needs to go knock Congresswoman Bachmann on the noggin and tell her that it is not 1952 and she is not Joe McCarthy.

The year is 2008, folks, and I have to say that it warms my heart to see the tactics of the right, long discussed on this blog, falling completely flat. The American people aren't listening. They aren't listening to the robo calls from the McCain campaign saying that Obama pals around with terrorists. They aren't listening to Sarah Palin as she continues to flog a dead horse by bringing up Obama's anti-American "associations." (Which is very odd, considering her husband belongs to the Alaska secessionist movement who are quite clearly anti American). They aren't listening to the conservative douche bag machine as they play the fear and race card simultaneously.

Just like with Joe McCarthy, the American public is starting to wake up. Thank God. There was awhile there when I wondered if we had it in us. The polls haven't changed. The donations keep rolling in for Senator Obama and Democrats around the country. And, although the election is still two weeks away, I think it is safe to say that we have seen the end of Rovian politics. When our country is as divided as it is, things get really fucked up. Guess what? Things are pretty fucked up right now and the American people are sick of the negativity.

Barack Obama rolled the dice and stayed positive. He had pundit after pundit telling him to go really negative but he didn't. He stayed on task and spoke to the problems our nation faces. These are serious problems that need to be addressed by dedicated people with deep intellect and compassion.

In other words, him.

In all honesty, it may be the end of the Republican Party as we know it. Party leaders hitched their wagon to a volatile and decaying star. Much of the base are ignorant, bitter, and angry people whose only goal in life, seemingly, is force their dogma down people's throats. The convention in St Paul and the attacks against Senator Obama in the weeks since have exposed them for what they truly are...horrible and willfully ignorant people who exist only to hate and divide.

One of the best things about this nation, which is the main reason why I love it as much as I do, is that we always find a way to deal with the Michelle Bachmanns of our country. We've taken a few steps down the path of anger and fanaticism in the past. We always manage to come back, though, and show the people of the world what we are truly made of.

We're just about to do that again.

Powell Endorses Barack Obama

Today was a truly magnificent day. General Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president. I'm certain there will be a lot of talk about race...about how Powell is a traitor and an America hater...or about how he is secretly a socialist/communist/fascist/terrorist.

While all this talk is going on, the right will be exposed for what they truly are...or what they have allowed themselves to become: a large group of angry, ignorant, purposefully unintelligent psychotics. I have already received three emails from readers saying basically that Powell is a traitor. In this case, and I REALLY mean this...I hate being right.

Pretty fucking sad, huh?

Last Night's Debate

Contrary to the polls, I thought McCain did the best job of all the debates. He got a little testy at the end and seemed physically uncomfortable throughout but, for the most part, I thought he did well.

Obama seemed a little flat...like he was coasting. I kept hoping for him to really make some zingers about right wing ideology, regarding the economy, and how it has all folded like a wet taco. Instead, he chose to make some quiet points which I think made him look a little weak.

The next three weeks are going to be fucking nasty. Not so much from McCain himself but from Palin and the base (Arabic translation: Al Qaeda). I'm starting to get a little nervous for Senator Obama's safety. Even though he has Secret Service protection, I don't really feel all that comfortable. The base is starting to spontaneously combust due to the fact that their leader, George W. Bush, has nationalized some banks (aka all humans everywhere being boiled into a pit of sewage). This is not sitting well with them and they are a powder keg ready to explode.

How will it happen?

Uh Oh.

The subject of ACORN and some voter fraud came up in comments recently so I thought I would share this photo that I just got from Robo Cam Guy.

Yep, that's right. It's John McCain attending an ACORN rally.

So, should his link to ACORN be as scrutinized as Barack Obama's?

One More Time....

Not much popping out of my head today so I'll let Andy at Electoral-Vote.com take it away again...

Palin Whips the Base into a Frenzy

The decision to pick an unknown evangelical governor as John McCain's running mate has succeeded beyond Steve Schmidt's wildest dreams. Way beyond. Sarah Palin has perfect aim when throwing red meat to partisan crowds and whipping them into a frenzy to the point when people at rallies yell: "terrorist" and "kill him" about Obama. Then Palin can conveniently say she did not say that but the point is made anyway. Of course when this happens she could say: "Somebody grab that guy and drag him out of here. I don't want people like that at my rallies" but she never does. She winks and basks. The trouble for Palin and now McCain is that this frenzy has been widely reported and condemned and it is turning off crucial independent voters in droves. The featured commentary at intrade.com is about Palin, saying: "Rove's creation has turned into a mob baying for blood." Even leading conservative columnists don't like this. Kathleen Parker has called for her to drop off the ticket. The bettors agree that Rove III is not working. Ten shares of McCain stock cost $23 this morning. This means that if you are absolutely convinced McCain will win, you can invest, say, $23,000 now and collect $100,000 in 3 weeks if McCain wins.

The consequence of this whole campaign could be far reaching. If Obama wins and the exit polls show independents voted overwhelmingly for him, the pundits are going to lay the blame at Palin's high heels and advise the GOP to forget the evangelicals and run candidates with financial expertise (like Mitt Romney) in the future. Needless to say, the evangelicals, who finally got one of their own on the ticket.

The Republican Party is going to have to do some serious self actualization if they lose as much as people think they will. This is going to be a near impossible task because how little reflection they are capable of. To admit that they could be wrong about something is tantamount to the end of the universe as we know it.

Do they really want people yelling 'terrorist' and 'kill him?' at rallies? I would hope not. I hope that some of you now realize what I have fucking been saying for the last eight years...it isn't the fringe element....IT'S THE MAJORITY OF THE BASE!!!

Polifact Debunks Obama-Ayers Connection

From electoral-vote.com...

The McCain campaign and the RNC are still using ads that link Obama and 1960s radical William Ayers. Now Polifact has examined the ads closely and concluded that the claim that Obama and Ayers ran a radical education foundation together is a "pants-on-fire" lie. While it is true that Obama was the nominal head of the foundation in question, Ayers never had a paid position on the foundation's staff, never was on the board, and never had a vote on anything. His connection to Obama was attending some board meetings that were open to the public, and this 20 years after his radical days, by which time he had reformed enough to get a Ph.D. in education from Columbia University and was able to win Chicago's "Citizen of the Year" award in 1997 for his work for nonprofit organizations. In short, while Ayers was a despicable person in his youth, the McCain campaign's relentless harping on the close relationship between Obama and Ayers is very misleading. They weren't close at all.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Holy SheeeIt!

Christopher Buckley, son of the late ultra conservative William F Buckley, has endorsed Barack Obama for president.

I am beginning to feel comfortable.

Ash in the Lead

Apparently, the pilfering of lawn signs isn't high on the minds of the folks in my home district. (MN-03). A new Survey USA poll (Oct 5-6) shows Aswhin Madia (D) ahead of Erik Paulsen 46-43 points. To be certain, this is still within the margin of error. Figure in the fact that it is an a R+1 district and that Ash is a newcomer to politics compared to Paulsen, 13 years in Minnesota State Legislature and House Majority Leader from 2003-2007, and it is incredible.

The real thing to watch now is how the 11 percent undecided break. If you know anyone like this, start talking to them about how Ash is a fiscal conservative and would be a much more responsible steward of spending than Pauslen. Start by clicking here for where he stands on this issue. He's not full of crap when he says this stuff.

He is a marine, after all :)

Debate II Post Mortem

I watched the debate last night with my friend Marc at Lone Spur. My first impression was that it was terribly boring. Both candidates repeated the same points they have made on the trail. The chief cause of this was this format. Questions were know by both men ahead of time, they were not allowed to talk to each other, and the audience was not allowed to follow up. Lame...

John McCain did not go "there." His campaign probably felt that the Ayers-Rezko-Wright thing would best be showcased in negative ads that will be coming soon to a theater near you. He was pretty weird though. When moderator Tom Brokaw asked him who would be the next Treasury Secretary in a McCain administration, he replied, "Not you, Tom." Huh? Was that supposed to be a joke. And the "that one" comment was just plain silly. McCain looked like a grandpa scolding his grand child.

Barack Obama had a couple of good moments (bomb bomb Iran and North Korea jibes) but essentially repeated his stump points and did not get into specifics. I guess that is alright, given time constraints, but he really has some great specifics on his web site. Couldn't he have showcased one or two?

I am left thinking that the last debate, regarding domestic policy, will be nauseatingly repetitive. That's all we have been talking about. Given the fact that they are going to talk about the economy again, I'd really like to hear some new material.

Tonight's Debate

So, what is going to happen tonight? Will John McCain "go there?" I suspect he will and I predict it's not going to work as well as he thought. First of all, Americans have more on their mind than Reverend Wright, Bill Ayers, and Tony Rezko. Second, McCain has his own skeletons in his closet. For the record, though, I think he is telling the truth about the whole Keating Five deal. It was bad judgment but I don't think he broke the law.

What I am really looking for tonight is a substantive discussion between the two of them on where they want to take this country and how they are going to solve our mammoth problems. I probably shouldn't hold my breath, huh?

Their Tool Kit

I tune in to Bill Maher every Friday night and, for the most part, look forward to laughing most of the time. After the first interview, I didn't really feel much like laughing and found myself to be thoroughly discouraged and quite depressed for the rest of the show. There were some funny things said but I didn't fell like laughing.

In this first segment, Bill interviewed Bob Woodward, famous Washington Post reporter and author of the new book The War Within. The book is the fourth in a series of books on the Bush Presidency, specifically the United States' involvement in Iraq. Woodward was allowed unprecedented access to President Bush to the point of where he has actually been given a National Security clearance and not allowed to discuss certain aspects of the meetings he attended.

One meeting he could discuss was a 2007 meeting between Admiral Fallon, Commander of US Central Command at the time, and President Bush. Woodward relates an extremely disturbing conversation between the Admiral and the president.

Admiral Fallon: Mr. President, what is our strategy going to be with Iran?
President Bush: They're assholes.

If any conversation can sum up the last eight years of US foreign policy, it's this one. I've always known that our foreign policy has been, at best, the product of a fifth grade intellect. But the above exchange really drove it home. I know there will be some of you who will be deluded enough to rip me for being "elitist" but I demand more from my president when dealing with a country like Iran. I want a president who is going to use his intellect and figure out, to the best of his ability, how to neutralize a country like Iran from every possible angle. Take a look at both the candidates we have right now and tell me who best fits that description.

As if this conversation weren't enough to depress the hell out of me, Bill and Bob discussed a statement made by Ayman Al Zawahari, co-leader of Al Qaeda, in 2000. He said that Al Qaeda's only hope of defeating the United States was to get it to beat itself economically. I look at where we are at right now and I have to say, we've done a pretty good job of realizing his dream.

Combine the bail out with the cost of the Iraq War and you're looking at 2 trillion dollars. That's how much we...as in you and I...OWE other people. When you owe other people that much, you don't have a dick anymore. And essentially, that's the problem with America today. We have no authority in the world at all. Sure we might have the best military but even the cracks are starting to show in that. The two people directly responsible for the attacks on 9-11 are living in a luxury villa in Pakistan? And John McCain doesn't want to bomb Pakistan because they are our ally? It's true...we have no dick.

Other countries are moving past us and engaging in diplomacy without us. We saw this last summer with Syria and Israel. We see it every day with Iran because George Bush and John McCain don't understand the difference between appeasement and talking. We are probably going to see more of it if McCain becomes president. If, for some reason, Sarah Palin becomes president, it will be official: The United States will be the joke of the planet.

Some say we already are. And I really haven't felt like laughing about it lately. I have been racking my brain to figure out how we got here. In fact, the search for the answer to this question is why I started this blog. I have come up with something that I think defines the problem. And by "the problem" I mean conservative ideology. Liberals have no problem taking the blame for problems. There is no doubt in my mind that liberals/Democrats have a good deal of responsibility in the mess we are in right now. Conservatives would, of course, agree.

But when it comes to reflection of their own flaws, conservatives balk, thump their chests, and call their examiners liars and traitors. They are incapable of self actualization. Or, in this case, group actualization. In looking at the fact that conservative ideology has been driving the agenda in this country for the last 28 years, one can honestly say that the results don't match the promises. Why?

When they only tool in your tool kit is a hammer, everything is a nail.

Post Mortem On VP Debate

As I predicted, both candidates did fine. They also did pretty much what I said they should do and looked strong overall.

Palin had a couple of comments that I completely agreed with. Much to the hyper consternation of the free market fundamentalists, she blamed predatory lenders and greed for our current situation and not the government. Good answer because it is the truth. She also seemed pretty honest on her position on gay marriage and showed tolerance as well as a desire to make sure that all Americans have equal rights.

She did seem weak on foreign affairs, though, and I don't think we need another person in such a high position of power that has such a low level of knowledge in the rest of the world. She did seem much stronger in this area than she has in the past few weeks but that's mostly because she repeated the party line.

Biden looked like he had just done a bong hit before the debate...which was a good thing because he was tres chill. His strong moments were in the foreign policy segment, when he talked about raising his family, and his closing statement. He was rough in the beginning, looking at Gwen Ifill while Governor Palin looked in the camera. When he started looking in the camera, he seemed stronger.

Now that the side show is over, we can get back to who this election is really about: Barack Obama and John McCain. Town hall format on Tuesday night. It should be fun!

The Big V

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a traitor and an idiot. Also, my mother should have aborted me and left me in a dumpster, but since she didn't, I should "off" myself.

Sound familiar? It should because it sounds exactly like something I would write here on Notes From The Front demonstrating clearly and accurately the type of attitude I get every day from conservatives. It might surprise you to know that the person who wrote the above statement is none other than Kathleen Parker, CONSERVATIVE columnist for the National Review and Washington Post.

Ms. Parker recently wrote a piece in the National Review which called for Sarah Palin to quit the VP slot on the ticket due to her complete lack of experience and knowledge regarding...just about everything. "She's out of her league," wrote Parker last week week, "she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion." I urge you all to read it as she points out several quotes which demonstrate that Palin has no clue what she is talking about.

After the article went up, Ms. Parker received about 8000 emails. According to Parker, they had the general tone of the first paragraph of this post. She goes on...

Some of my usual readers feel betrayed because I previously have written favorably of Palin. By changing my mind and saying so, I am viewed as a traitor to the Republican Party -- not a "true" conservative.

The fierce reaction to my column has been both bracing and enlightening. After 20 years of column writing, I'm familiar with angry mail. But the past few days have produced responses of a different order. Not just angry, but vicious and threatening.

And she's surprised about this? It's what I have been saying all along about the right. It's not just the crazies, folks. That IS their base. Total vindication. The Big V, baby!

But what is a true conservative? One who doesn't think or question and who marches in lock step with The Party?

Anyvone who disobeys our vill will be liquidated. Seig Heil!

Some of Palin's interview responses can't even be critiqued on their merits because they're so nonsensical. But even that is someone else's fault, say Palin supporters. The media make her uncomfortable.

Someone on the right FINALLY recognizing the "non victim" victim culture just like me.

The picture is this: Anyone who dares express an opinion that runs counter to the party line will be silenced. That doesn't sound American to me, but Stalin would approve.Readers have every right to reject my opinion. But when we decide that a person is a traitor and should die for having an opinion different from one's own, we cross into territory that puts all freedoms at risk. (I hear you, Dixie Chicks)

OK, now I just love Kathleen Parker and want to read every one of her columns now forever and ever. Yes, she is a conservative. Yes, I disagree with her on many issues. But at least she is finally seeing the same insanity that I have been seeing for eight years: the Republican Party has been hijacked by lunatics.

I'm sure it is coincidence that, upon the Palin column's publication, a conservative organization canceled a speech I was scheduled to deliver in a few days. If I were as paranoid as the conspiracy theorists are, I might wonder whether I was being punished for speaking incorrectly.

Unfortunately, that's the way one begins to think when party loyalty is given a higher value than loyalty to bedrock principles.

And what do we call that, Ms. Parker?



















Now, I hope all of you can see how ridiculous Jonah Goldberg (and Kool Aid drinkers) look right now.

As far as tonight's debate goes, look no further than the post below for my thoughts.

Tonight

The VP debate is tonight and, by all indications, it's going to be a dandy. The build up has been extraordinary with an enormous amount of pressure on Sarah Palin to....say something intelligible. There is also a lot of pressure on Biden to not look like he is beating up on a girl. Here's what should happen and what I think is going to happen with each candidate.

Every single time Biden opens his mouth to criticize Sarah Palin it should be prefaced with John McCain's name. So, if Palin says, "We need to stay in Iraq and get the job done," Biden says, "John McCain and Sarah Palin have the wrong policy in Iraq. We need to...blah blah blah." He will look like he is beating up on her or look like he is making her look stupid if he says anything intelligent...and we all know what happens when conservatives see someone smart saying smart things...they tap into their inner rage, make up something moronic, and get ten more eligible idiots to believe it. Election lost. So Biden should have one word on his mind at all times: McCain.

Sarah Palin needs to do what she did in the Alaskan gubernatorial debate: be herself. Speak from her heart and let the base know what her values are. If asked a question that she doesn't know the answer to, which may be many knowing Gwen Ifill, the highly respected journalists and moderator for tonight's debate, simply respond with a canned conservative answer. Continuing to drone on about various things that have been crammed into her head by the McCain team is not going to work. Biden will just get to sit back and win. She did a fine job in that debate in Alaska.

That being said, I think she will do just fine tonight now that expectations have been lowered so much. I think Biden will say one or two really stupid things but at the end of the night, it will be a draw and the polls won't move too much. People are thinking about the economy right now and this is just a side show.

The Usual Crap

I've gotten a flurry of emails and have engaged in pretty much the same debate, with conservatives, over the last week or so regarding the current financial crisis. There have also been a few posts in comments that were of the same general theme so I thought I would bring this out front to really chew on it.

The basic conservative line is that our current financial crisis was caused by the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 and by government quotas, place on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to give loans to low income customers. Essentially, it's the fault of government, affirmative action, and poor people. All the people on Wall Street and the corporations in America were innocent and victims of "gubmint."

This is a complete load of shit.

The CRA was signed into law in 1977. How would a law 30 years old cause lending problems now? Yes, Clinton changed the law but that activity that resulted from those changes came to an end in 2001. The real thing they fail to see is that the CRA only applies to banks and thrifts. It's stated in the law.

The Community Reinvestment Act (or CRA, Pub.L. 95-128, title VIII, 91 Stat. 1147, 12 U.S.C. § 2901 et seq.) is a United States federal law that requires banks and thrifts to offer credit throughout their entire market area and prohibits them from targeting only wealthier neighborhoods with their services, a practice known as redlining. The purpose of the CRA is to provide credit, including home ownership opportunities to under served populations and commercial loans to small businesses.

The vast majority of the sub prime loans in the last 8 years did not originate from banks or thrifts. Half of them came from places beyond the reach of CRA. Another quarter came from subsidiaries. The final quarter of sub prime loans came from CRA and that kind of debt just doesn't seem to be enough to drive our economy off the cliff.

In regards to Fannie and Freddie, Freddie Mac Chairman and CEO Richard Syron recently said that the GSEs have been hit by a "100-year storm" in the housing market, accentuated by some higher-risk mortgages that they were forced to buy to meet government affordable-housing targets.

From Barrons.com

The latter contention is more than disingenuous. A substantial portion of Fannie's and Freddie's credit losses comes from $337 billion and $237 billion, respectively, of Alt-A mortgages that the agencies imprudently bought or guaranteed in recent years to boost their market share. These are mortgages for which little or no attempt was made to verify the borrowers' income or net worth. The principal balances were much higher than those of mortgages typically made to low-income borrowers. In short, Alt-A mortgages were a hallmark of real-estate speculation in the ex-urbs of Las Vegas or Los Angeles, not predatory lending to low-income folks in the inner cities.

Couple this with the fact that Rick Davies, McCain's campaign manager, was paid 30K a month by Fannie and Freddie , for five years, to remove government restrictions. Now either he did a terrible job (possible) or they are lying because they don't want everyone to know how much they fucked up (probable).

Bottom line? The government fell asleep on this one, winked and did nothing, or was completely incompetent at enforcing even the most basic of oversight. It was probably all three.

The information that I have listed above is completely ignored by the right and, hilariously, once again we see the "anti victim" culture behaving like victims. It's always someone else's fault...never the fault of any of their beliefs or actions because, of course, they are perfect and you are not allowed to question them nor is there any need for reflection.

Does anyone out there think it is possible to look at the actual causes of this crisis?