Contributors

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Welcome To The Shitsack

WCCO has a semi regular piece they run called Reality Check. They look at a story, dissect the spin, and then tell you what the facts actually are. In concert with that idea, I am going to start a new feature at Notes From The Front. We are going to have a fairly regular themed column which I lovingly call....The Shitsack.

While the Grab Bag is more about the variety of things that either irritate me or excite me, the Shitsack will focus exclusively on conservative language, dissect what they are saying and then explain very directly why they are completely full of shit. From time to time, I may also call it The Complete Sack of Shit which, of course, conveys a similar meaning.

To illustrate how each Shitsack will work, I thought it would be fun to talk about the word "liberal." The word liberal, as defined by conservatives, is:

1. Weak, whiny, narrow minded, criminal, thief of my precious money, traitor, scumbag and/or rapist of children.

The actual definition of liberal, according to Webster's dictionary is:

1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

2. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.

3.favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.


4. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

5. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.

6. open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

7. characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.

8. .given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.

So, clearly we can see that conservatives have taken their large, grabastic paws and dug deeply into the Shitsack. I think we can all agree that, based on the actual definition of the word liberal, this is something to which we should all aspire. Interestingly, the word conservative, according to Webster's, is defined as:

1. resistant to change

2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low

3. unimaginatively conventional

Whee-hoo...sign me up for that!!!

Anyway, now that we have gotten the basic rules for the Shitsack out of the way, let's all put on our rubber glovies and look no further to our very own Notes From The Front for this week's Complete Sack of Shit from conservatives. In a recent post in comments, a conservative told the story of a report on ABC by John Stossel who made the claim that people of faith or conservatives give more to the poor than non religious or liberal people. This story was mentioned to me at the gym by several conservative friends of mine and I noticed articles about it popping up in the papers.

I knew at the time that the Shitsack had been dug into very deeply but I really didn't have all the facts to back up my responses. Now I do.

To begin with, if you are going in actual dollar amounts, atheists win hands down and people of faith don't have a fucking prayer:) Why? Because the biggest donors to charity in our country are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who have donated billions of dollars to charity. Both of them are self-proclaimed atheists. Buffet even donated 90 percent of his fortune to Bill Gates's foundation. But, y'know, let's be fair to religious people because they can't really be expected to keep up with the likes of Buffet and Gates....monetarily speaking.
So, what are some other reasons this claim belongs in the Shitsack?

Michelle Bachmann, left, our esteemed congresswoman from the Sixth District here in Minnesota, voted against increasing the minimum wage. Huh? She is very religious person who espouses hard work to get ahead. So the people who are working hardest in this country should make less money? According to her, the minimum wage hike will hurt businesses....well, maybe the conservative ones that give all their money to charity as opposed to the liberal ones that pay more to their employees and thus have none left over for charity, right?

Bachmann's "generosity" is typical of conservatives who seem to give all the breaks to rich corporations and yet none to social programs. Claiming that this money will trickle down to employees, conservatives consistently cut taxes for the rich. The fact is that in 1985 CEO's compensation was, on average, 20 times that of one of it's workers. In 2005, CEO's make 400 times as much as their average worker.

Wow. That's a heckuva trickle. Must be that new "non wet" water....y'know the kind that is invisible.

In addition, Blue states give more to the federal government in taxes....red states give less. Yet, most of the this money goes to the red states. For example, between 1991 and 2001 California paid $253.5 billion in federal taxes over the amount it received from the federal government. These subsidies went to red states like Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, who received $100.1 billion, $86.93 billion and $84.3 billion, respectively, above what they paid to the federal government. So, liberals in California are funding conservatives in the South now? Hey, waitaminute....suddenly I have decided that I want to be a conservative!!! No more taxes!!!

Now, I consider myself to be a person of faith so I am not ripping Christians here....just the ridiculous claim that people of faith and/or conservatives "give more" to the poor. It is flat out wrong. It's another example of conservatives trying to spin a great lie into a truth. When you hear comments like this from conservatives, just pull out the Shitsack.
And throw it at them.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

God Help Us All....

Before we get to the insanity that was the president's address to the nation last night, I want to respond to those conservatives, who I know read this blog but don't post, who have harangued me for "hating" Bush and stopping at nothing to destroy him. I do not hate President Bush... personally. Chances are, he and I, both sharing a love for the St Louis Cardinals, would get along famously at a ball game. It's not him personally that I detest. I loathe his actions.

When he starts to behave in a thoughtful, intelligent manner befitting the leader of the free world, then yes....I will have some kind things to say about him. This ridiculous idea that all liberals are "out to get Bush" is a not-so-clever ploy to re-direct us from the utter incompetence with which our country is being run. When I hear people tell me, well you just "hate Bush" so of course you aren't going to support him my response is...

No.

It's his actions. And if you can't see that what he is doing is horribly wrong, then how can I help you? Because you see, dear readers, that we have gone far past the point of "opinions" and we are now into fact. Or reality.

More and more I am beginning to believe that at least 20 percent of this country have completely lost their minds. I spend a fair amount of time to try to understand their mindset but the things that come out of the mouths....as was displayed on a recent broadcast of the Rush Limbaugh show.....are just plain wrong. "We have to give President Bush a chance," they say or "People are just out to destroy him." Give him a chance? What the fuck have the last four years been about?

Other comments heard were "We are fighting for our freedom" or "The terrorist want us to leave." I just...I am at a loss as to what to say anymore if people think this is true...I have gone from anger and frustration to a profound sense of sadness at what little thought these people have put into something so important....so vital.

Clearly, there was no thought in President Bush's speech last night. More or less, it was the same rhetoric with little movement in his position. His military commanders on the ground, most of Congress, and at least 80 percent of the American Public are against adding additional troops. Both the incoming and outgoing generals in charge of the operation say it's a bad idea.

Would someone please explain to me his thought process? I admit to being a dick a lot of the time on this blog but I really want to try to understand how a troop increase benefits us? More importantly, the supposed "mainstream" which neocons tout as being in touch with are overwhelmingly against this action. Many Republicans have said that all troop increase will do is offer more targets to the insurgency.

The only explanation that I can come up with is that President Bush and the people who are supporting him in this can't admit when they are wrong. George Bush was the wet dream of conservatives who were so angered by eight years of Bill Clinton that they didn't even bother to look into the man's history of failure. When George Bush failed in the oil business, people lost money. When he failed as the owner of baseball team, people lost money. When he failed as Governor of Texas, people in that state lost their standard of living.

His failures as president have cost people their lives. I believe that his past failures are what are driving him now. He will not back down. He will not admit he was wrong. He will keep going to try prove to all of us that he is "better than his daddy" (who oddly was not all that "good.") More people are going to die as a result of his wholly inappropriate hubris. He needs to stop what he is doing and I don't know if we can stop him.

It's that same hubris with the conservatives that are still in support of this president. They will never admit they are wrong and it will always be the fault of the liberals. Having only the conviction of your own vanity is how these people roll and, make no mistake about it, it is their myopic hatred of "liberals" like Bill Clinton and others that have put us into this position.

So, neocons, the next time you open your mouth to spout off about liberal hate and other overly simplistic delusions, why don't you take a look in the fucking mirror? And while you are it, maybe you can show President Bush the way to the rest room as well.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

A Fond Farwell

Before we get to my picks, let's break out the hankerchiefs and bid a hearfelt farewell to those that we lost in 2006

Saturday, January 06, 2007

BOOK LINK

CLICK HERE FOR NEW GOING DOWN ON LOVE BOOK LINK

BEST OF 2006

2006 was a wondrous year for music, television and film. Some really cool stuff came out this year and, in thinking about my annual tradition, it was hard for me to pick my favorites. So many artists and filmmakers stand out as doing exceptionally interesting work in 2006.

I have to say that it (finally!) feels like we are on our way out of the somewhat recent trend of boring music, dull television, and the same old movies. Thank God!

Now onto the picks...

BEST CD

I think this is the first year that the Best CD of the year came out two weeks after the year started. I have talked about it all year and even got to see them play live in Chicago right after my birthday. There has not been a CD that came out since January 16th that has equalled Arctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not. In fact, the only release that come close is Leave Before The Lights Come On.......the latest single by Arctic Monkeys which does not appear on the CD.

What a delight this music is for fans who like everything from The Beatles to Oasis and in between. It's just a great collection of tunes for anyone, really, but the songs really tell the story of what it is like to be young, in love, and hitting the pubs and clubs. Arctic Monkeys tore through 2006 like the Pistols did in 1976 and I am anxiously awaiting their follow up album due sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.

The other impressive thing about this band is they did it all without any major label support and buzz created from My Space. Hey, all you major label A and R dorks who work for the man...your days are numbered...it's a whole new world out there!!

BEST TV SHOW

This one was tough. Battlestar Galactica got better, 24 got way better, The Sopranos returned after a long hiatus with some great shows, and Lost is just plain insane right now. So, needless to say, the choice was tough.

But a little show came along that made me excited about Monday nights again. I used to love to watch football on Mondays but have become very bored with the NFL of late. The parity in the league makes for some very dull games. In addition, I have also yearned for genre or sci fi fantasy TV to dominate the airwaves again. NBC has delivered in spades.



Heroes is the Best Show on TV. Saving the cheerleader and saving the world only scratched the surface of this incredibly exciting, multi layered character driven story. There are mysteries just like the ones on Lost but there are more answers. And people talk more like ordinary people talk. It drives me nuts on Lost because people don't spend their entire days talking in riddle language.

That does not happen on Heroes. It's all about action, mystery, intrigue, and yes, Super Heroes!! Yeah, that's right...I am letting my inner geek gush out all over the place. Heroes also has what is probably the most interesting character to come to TV in the last 20 years...coincidentally named Hiro! The Japanese Actor Masi Oka is a marvel to watch and deserves many kudos.

Combined with the undeniably fun Dr. Who and Life On Mars from the BBC, here's hope that the realm of the mysterious continues for a long time.

BEST FILM

Another tough one because there were so many good films. The U.S. vs. John Lennon was noteworthy not only because it had my favorite subject :) but because of its insight into our current administration's lust to gain access to every aspect of our lives. In fact, this film had the cinematic line of the year which was uttered by Gore Vidal:

"Mr Lennon represented life and Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represent death."

Of course, there were the fun movies as well. James Bond returned (as he always does) with Casino Royale. It was the best Bond entry since The Living Daylights and Daniel Craig kicked serious ass as the new Bond. Jet Li's Fearless was a veritable ton of chop sockey fun. Kevin Smith's Clerks II was so funny that I needed to stop by the Hennepin County Medical Center for oxygen.

But the best film of the year was not a comedy or an action movie. Nor was it a chick flick or a "gee, I have never gotten over being 15 years old" stupid ass horror film. The best film of the year was a poignant reminder of what we have lost.

Emilio Estevez's Bobby is the best film of 2006 because it shows us the last time we had a leader (or almost had a leader) that wanted to change things for the better. The central message of the film is that Bobby Kennedy was the "last one" in a serious of extraordinary men (JFK, Dr. King) who would've made our country better. They were all killed by men who were seriously threatened by these plans to achieve parity in our country and this film shows us, through the eyes of fictional characters, how RFK represented that final, last hope.

The film's closing sequence, using audio from actual interviews with Bobby Kennedy, is gut wrenching and I found myself weeping at what we, as a nation, lost that day. It was particularly awful considering where we are today and I found myself wondering what Mr. Kennedy would think of our country's current state and direction. If any of you know anything about Robert Kennedy, then you already know what the answer would be.
So, those are my picks for 2006. What are yours? Leave Comments below....

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

The Definition of a Winner

Alright, so I know that I said I was going to post my Best of 2006 this week. I will...it's just going to be a bit later in the week. I know you are all waiting with bated breath to see what my picks are for the Best CD, Best TV Show and Best Film of 2006 but you are just going to have to wait.

Because last night I witnessed the greatest football game I have ever seen.

Before we take a look at the clip highlighting why the game was the greatest, I would like all of the fucking losers here in Minnesota (Gopher hockey excluded of course) who think they can run a sports program to take note of Chris Peterson. Yes, that's right Major Childress and Idiot Maturi...Chris Peterson, first year head coach of the Boise State Broncos knows how to win.

Y'see folks, I am real sick and tired of the likes of Brad Childress, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings , and the dumbest fucking athletic director in the NCAA, Joe Maturi of the U of M with their "let's play not to lose" conservative bullshit. More than anything, I would like 5 minutes with each of them. There is no doubt in my mind that I could turn the Minnesota Vikings, Gopher Football, and Gopher Basketball progams into WINNING endeavors.

My 5 minutes with the little Major would go something like this. I would explain to him that, sitting in my chair at home or at the Spring Street Bar, where I watch Vikings games, I can tell which of the six offensive plays, from his grand playbook, he is going to run. If I can tell what he is going to do, then imagine what someone who watches sixty hours of film a week can see. I bet Bill Bellichik wrapped his film day after about one hour of viewing. In addition, having a tough run defense is great. Giving up an eight yard passing cushion over the middle of the field on every single play is not great.

I may not even need 5 minutes with dumbfuck. I would simply say to him that a B- average is not failing and if he wants to recruit decent athletes to come to the U, he should hold them to a standard of...say a 70 percent or better which I think is fair. But I don't think the man can tell where he is half of the time so it might be pointless. He certainly doesn't have any clue how to win.

What would be pointful (if there is such a word) is for the little Major, asshead, and the rest of us here in Minnesota pining for a real winner to watch this clip and see what having some fucking sack can bring you. Someone on YouTube put together a great highlight reel of the end of last night's Fiesta Bowl between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Boise State Broncos.

For some reason, I can't import YouTube today, so follow this link....and enjoy....I anxiously await your comments as I have several!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENwDDB0dlRk

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Last Post

This is my last post of the year. I was all set to put up my usual "Best of" for 2006 (it will be up next week) but I was inspired by a recent speech on the Senate floor.

The Republican Senator from Oregon, Gordon Smith, at the end of a "lame duck" session, stood up and spoke from his heart. He had just returned from a trip to Iraq and his words were poignant and straight to the point.

It's worth talking about for two reasons. The first is for me to be humble and admit that I was wrong. It's true. Not all Republicans have hearts black as the night and have the central goal of ruining my children's future.

The second reason is that the tide is finally turning. This complete and utter bag shit that we have all been in the last five years is finally showing some peaks of light. People on the right side of the aisle are starting to question President Bush, broaden their minds, and become people of good faith.

It is words like the ones below that make me feel something I haven't felt in long time.

Hope.

"I have concluded that we are employing strategies that are needlessly getting kids killed."

"I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day,"

"That is absurd. It may even be criminal."

Gordon Smith (R) Oregon, December 7, 2006.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Well Well Well.....

"The most painful aspect of the presidency is the fact that I know my decisions have caused young men and women to lose their lives."

President George W. Bush

Dec 20, 2006


No fucking shit, Sherlock. And isn't that what I have been saying all along?

Monday, December 18, 2006

Smellin' Some Mo

Something must be going on. Three bits of complete and utter vindication in one week!!Normally, I am not one to say I told you so but....

Neocons,

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

.......fuckers.

In the great debate of whether or not our country is being run by regime similar to Hitler's Third Reich, I win and all of you "gee isn't everything wonderful and our country is soooo morally superior " naysayers lose.

Today, The New York Times published the story of two men named Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel. Please click here and read the story.

Wasn't that a pleasant tale?

Scanning through old posts and remembering dinner/bar conversations I have had with conservatives, I recall most of them saying that as long as Americans were not being hauled away and held without representation or trial that our country was not like Nazi Germany. Well, as I predicted, we actually are like that and I am thoroughly disgusted. These two men were wrongly accused and sentenced to jail for no good reason at all.....unless, of course, you count reporting to the FBI that illegal weapons trading has been going on in Iraq. Clearly, in the year 2006, Bush Co does not approve of people trying to do the right thing. Even when they are people who, more than likely, supported the war in the first place so they could make shitload of cash!!

No, no folks. As I have been saying all along, our current leadership will stop at nothing to cover up the shit they have done. We have become a nation of fear mongering buffoons who will go along with anything our government tells us. If anyone out there still believes that these people are "moral," I would seriously consider consulting a neuro surgeon to check for brain damage.

After reading the nauseating account of Donald Vance, I am left with this question: how many more of him are there? Languishing in prison for trying to do something right? And why has taken so long for the "liberal" media to report stories like this? Is it because Vance is the first white, Midwesterner to get fucked over by an ever growing fascist cabal?

Y'know, when the Democrats won last November and Bush looked like someone punched him in the gut, I was willing to try to be nice and work together. I had the insanely silly thought that maybe we could come to some sort of middle road on Iraq and move forward with a plan that benefits everyone.

But after Bush's obvious reluctance to listen to the ISG report and now this story...I think it is time to put the "I" word on the table again.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

That Sweet Smell

What's that I smell in the air? Ah, yes. It's that sweet smell of Markadelphia being totally vindicated. The FEC (Federal Election Commission) has ruled that Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth will pay $300,000 in fines for violating campaign laws in the 2004 election. In the 2004 campaign, the group spent $20.4 million criticizing Kerry's military record in Vietnam. Much of the group's claims about Kerry's service were never substantiated (translation: they lied because they are a bunch of douchebags who will stop at nothing to retain power.)

It does my heart proud to see this group's feet in the fire for all the rotten crap they did two years ago. I recall bitching about it then and neocons saying to me (please imagine a voice similar to Biff from Back To The Future here), "Well, Kerry brought it up...his Vietnam service...it's his own fault." Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot. Democrats can't serve their countries heroically because they are all cowards.

Right....

In addition, MoveON. Org and the League of Conservation voters were fined around $100,000 each for violating campaign laws which I also think is a good thing. The candidates should have to speak for themselves and be judged by their actions.

The other wonderful bit of vindication came from the agent of Joel Zumaya, relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He admitted that one of the reasons he pitched so poorly against the Cardinals in the World Series was because his arm had muscle damage from.....playing video games too much. Apparently Zumaya plays PS2's Guitar Hero 4-6 hours a day.

What a constructive way to pass the time. Maybe he needs to order the shoulder straps they are making for Nintendo players. The New York Times reported yesterday that Nintendo is making a harness of some kind to prevent players from breaking TVs, ceiling fans, and other assorted furniture due to their exuberance and playing various video games.

Wow. What a wonderful place our country has become.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Grab Bag

It's high time for another Grab Bag...I hope you enjoy it

McFuck Off!!
A couple of weeks ago, I was out with a couple of my female friends clubbing. A hot guy walked by and one of the girls turned to turned to the other and said, "Whew! He is a Nasty McHottie!"

Would someone please explain to me the current desire people have to put "Mc" into every single flargin' dumb ass, cute little nickname?

McDreamy, McSteamy, McShasta.....I am going McCrazy here!!! Putting "Mc" in front of any sort of name, noun or any other word makes you sound like you....spend too much time at McDonalds. Please cease and desist with this ridiculous tomfoolery.

I don't think I can take it anymore.



No More Babies
Will all of you please join me in a letter writing campaign to every single TV news network to beg them to stop airing stories about couples who have quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets or any other insanely silly amount of children at one time?

I am so underwhelemed (to the point of being ecstatic at finding a cure for insomnia) when I turn on the TV and see the latest story of two pasty mouth-breathers who have had 9 kids at once. And while we are at it, can we beg them to PLEASE stop airing conjoined twins stories. I didn't like it when Barnum made a spectacle out of them and I really don't like it now.


The Pace Car
Lately, I have noticed on our lovely highways a new phenemenon: the driver who takes maniacal glee in setting the pace for all of the rest of us. Traveling South on Shady Oak Road recently, a car pulled out in front of me from McDonalds (probably someone who uses "Mc" in cute little nicknames) and then proceded to make sure that he went 30 in a mickey frickin' 40. A line of cars built up behind me, with people honking, at which time he proceded to flip us all the bird. When it widened to two lanes, he purposely moved to stay in front of all of us and continue to go slow. He turned around several times to laugh at the seven or so cars in line. At first I thought he was just a psycho but I have since seen and heard of similar incidents. In fact, a friend of a friend said she enjoyed going slower in front of a bunch of people just to "slow everyone down and relax." I don't know about all of you but I really don't have the time to jack off in my car all fucking day so if you are a "Pace Car," you are a dick.

It's All In The Name
The Democrats should change their name. They should also declare that they are no longer "liberals" as that name has gotten so much bad PR. Their new name should be the Progressive Party of America and they should demand to be referred to as "humanists" and not liberals. All references to Democrats or liberals (and of course all the chiding) would become antiquated and a new paradigm would be born.

Neocons frustration level would be at an all time high. Think of Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity saying, "Well, the Democrats...oops, I mean the Progressives or whatever they are calling themselves now...have done it again with blah blah..." Most Americans would flip the channel before neoncons could even make their point...if they actually had one to begin with.....

The TU Brigade
And finally, sorry ladies, but the jig is up and I am on to you. ALL of you. Over my years of experience with the opposite sex, I have noticed that several of you have expressed a certain reticence with the "from behind" position also quaintly know as doggy style. Just so we are clear, by doggy style I mean vaginal sex from behind, not anal sex.

The universal excuse I have heard over the years is, "Well, I have what's called a tipped uterus so that position makes me uncomfortable." While a tipped uterus can be common in women, this simple fact (according to three doctors I polled along with several ladies) does not mean that doggy style sex should be or is uncomfortable. One particular women I polled has a tipped uterus and likes to have her ass pounded regularly in that position. It happens to be her favorite. Anyway, I am tired of hearing this baloney from you girls. Perhaps your man is too large or you are too tight but there is no medical reason, like a tipped uterus or anything else, for doggy style sex to be uncomfortable. There is, of course, the mental/emotional/psychological one:

The fact that you think you have a fat ass.

First of all, in my opinion, unless your ass is as big as the one pictured at left, chances are you have nothing to worry about. In fact, most women I know think that their butts are too big when, in fact, they look quite yummy to me. Interestingly, all of the women who have told me that they have tipped uteruses (and thus don't like doggy style) ALL have bigger butts which proves my theory to be true. I think that you girls have decided that we men are stupid and you could pull a fast one on us.

Well, we are stupid but that's not the point. You think that you can throw some fancy shmancy female anatomical wizardry at us and then we'll just give up the greatest position in the history of sex? Do you think we are just going to go along with that? Dude, seriously, you have got to get over that "I have a fat ass so I am going to tell a bunch of lies, bullshit and he is a dumb ass male so he will beleive me" thing. Enough with the dishonesty.

Stick that booty up in the air and let your fella rock out!! I can guarentee that he will love it....no matter how "big"you think you are. So, sorry, gals, but it's not going to be that easy anymore. I pride myself on knowing more about female anatomy than every man I know and even most women. I am hear to tell everyone that having a tipped uterus does not automatically and anatomically mean that doggy style is uncomfortable. I will be singing this FACT to the highest mountains and shattering your little ploy of misinformation.

If you don't like to get fucked from behind, just say you don't like it. Or, better yet, talk to your man about why you don't like it and see if he is willing to lift up that left butt cheek with his right hand and put his left hand underneath to work that clit a little bit. This simple action will make you believe in God.

And then maybe then you can learn to enjoy that position.

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Gang Of Ten

Well, the Gang of Ten released their report about Iraq. I am sorry to inform all of you that things in Iraq are "grave and deterioring." The violence is worsening and broadening in its complexity and scope.

What the? Wait just a dol garn minute here. I thought that the media was only reporting the bad news. Do you mean to tell me that former Secretary of State James Baker, the man who singlehandedly ended the Cold War with a walk in the woods, could possibly know what he is talking about? Or any of the other members of the panel with a thousand years of foreign policy experience? Is it possible that these highly intelligent men have gotten it right?

Some interesting points that I thought came out of this report, followed by Markadelphia's usual sarcastic comments.

1. The United States must diplomatically engage other nations in the region such as Syria and Iran in order to help stabilize the situation in Iraq.

Aw, that's bullshit. I thought the WWE form of diplomacy we are currently engaged in was working so well. Dad gummit all, now we have to talk to those frikkin' firners again...I can't understand half of what they are sayin......we need to stick with the "let's pretend to be tough even though we don't really know what to do" approach. C'mon people!

2. The United States Army must increase its trainers from 2000 troops to 15,000 or 20,000 troops to assist the Iraqi Army?

And we haven't been doing this because.....?

3. Combat troops will be out of Iraq by 2008.

Well, it figures that a bunch of old farts and Defeatacrats would write this baloney. None of these people know what the hell they are doing anyway....

Folks, I have to say that I watched the whole presentation on CNN on Wednesday and felt completely and utterly vindicated. Everything that I have said on this blog has come true. President Bush looked like a little boy whose dad's pals just bailed him out of jail for drunk driving. His policy in Iraq has been a disaster from the very beginning and was a course we should not even have taken in the first place.

His initial reactions to the report reveal an attitude of...well, a nine year old boy. "I'm not gonna" is basically what he said to many of their recommendations. What a fucking joke. Is there anyone out there who has any respect for this guy anymore? Good lord...

Thankfully, people with intelligence and good character have come to our commander's and our country's rescue and we now have a plan to move beyond the deep shit we are in right now. Hopefully we are on a path to some sort of resolution. Of course, to hear the neocons sounding off all day on the radio on Thursday one would think that Hugo Chavez wrote the document. The fact that there are still people in this country that think that staying the course and things are fine in Iraq....well, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised.

I look back on the last three and half years and see the neocon's web of unreality unspooling before our very eyes. Even Fox News has finally given up. The day the report was released they spent most of it on the Shuttle launch....which was eventually scrubbed.....what a riot!

Friday, December 01, 2006

Trouble In River City!!!!

Oh no. It has to come to this. Evangelicals are fighting amongst themselves.

It seems that the Christian Coalition of America elected a new President named Dr. Joel Hunter.
Upon his election, Dr. Hunter, a senior Pastor at the Northland Church Group in Florida, had the audacity to........wait for it...... speak of his desire to want evangelicals to follow the path of Jesus Christ more closely. Y'know, that whole bit in the Gospels about serving the poor and maintaining a clean environment.....the stuff that Jesus actually talked about...as opposed to the "let's kill all the fags" and "enslave the whores" parts of the scripture that don't exist at all.

Well, you can imagine what happened after that. Lawdy! Lawdy Lawdy! It was chaos. The Alabama chapter of the Christian Coalition quit. The Mississippi chapter threatened to quit. Some Christian conservatives quietly supported Dr. Hunter but were afraid to speak up....in case they got branded a....LIBERAL! Jerry Falwell, and other evangelicals, fretted over the fact that if Christian Conservatives began allying themselves with these left wing causes, they could...(tearful sniffing here) be brainwashed and brought into the evil cabal of liberalism.

So, the Board of Directors of the Christian Coalition forced Dr. Hunter to step down and now they have to go and elect a whole new president....one that will continue to make up a bunch of shit that Jesus never said and act as God's official mouthpiece on moral judgement.

In a recent interview on CNN, Dr. Hunter spoke of his vision of Christianity in America. He truly wants people to focus on serving the poor (gasp!) and improve the environment (Oxygen! I need oxygen! Can someone get me some O2?). He feels that enough has been said and done about gay marriage and abortion. Christians around the world need to broaden their perspective and look to Christ for guidance. Please click here to watch the full interview:

Dr. Hunter on CNN

My message to the board at the Christian Coalition and the people that support them:

Your party is just about over.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Thank You, Dumb Asses!!!

As we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this week, let us take the time to thank the people that are the real reason why our nation is going down the toilet. No, it's not the Neocons as many of you would believe. And it's not the Democrats. It's the fucking slobs in the picture to the left.



Can you take a guess at what they are doing?

They are waiting in line at a Best Buy in Richfield, Minnesota to buy a Play Station 3.

What a bunch of losers.

This was the picture, with accompanying story, on the FRONT PAGE of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune last Thursday, November 16th. Wow, that's some real news there, folks! These two dorks waited in line, camping out, for five days to be some of the first people to be able to buy the new video game system. There were similar scenes around the country and in West Bend, Wisconsin a man was injured while trying to get one of the systems at a Wal Mart.

He was running so fast and out of control that he slammed into a pole, head first, and had to be taken to a hospital.

The sight of this mouth breather running into a pole for a fucking video game is, I believe, an excellent metaphor for the United States of America in 2006. We are so dumb that we:

A. Elect a man like George W. Bush
B. don't care about 50 million people who have no health insurance
C. are ambivalent about thousands dying in Iraq and elsewhere in the world
D. are the fattest, stupidest, laziest bunch of slobs on the face of this earth.

Video games are fucking stupid. They are complete waste of time and if these morons that spend days waiting outside for a PS3 spent that time to make the world a better place....the world would be a better place.

I know that my children will be soooo thankful that all the gaming douche bags of the world have their priorities straight. It's a wonderful feeling to realize that the two dicks in the sleeping bags in their little chairs up top are going to be running the country some day. Wonderful.

So, as you sit down to devour your holiday bird, give thanks to the thousands of brain dead sycophants who have elected to waste their time staring at a TV and carrying out frighteningly violent and sick fantasies.

Thank You, Dumb Asses!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Some Small Hope For Neocons

Yes, it's been a bad week for neocons. Gettin' they shit smacked up and shit. But guess what? All of you single neocons have some hope.

A new dating service just opened up for you and I urge you to take full advantage of the support network offered here.

Here is their commercial

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

A Brief Letter

Dear Mr President,

I know you must feel pretty rotten right now. We have taken back the House and it looks like we are going to take back the Senate if the numbers hold in Virginia and Montana. The people have spoken and they don't like what you are doing in Iraq. With the exception of the kool aid drinkers you still have in the Sixth District in Minnesota, your cult of unreality is finished.

Thank goodness, because I feel that, as a human being, I could not have taken another month in which our brave men and women lost their lives simply because your only true conviction is that of your own vanity. So, I am making you a promise: Work with me and all will be well.

This is going to be difficult for you....actually following the law of our land and all by being overseen by Congress....not to mention having to listen to a woman....but I think you can do it. I think you really need to be my friend right now because I don't think you want to make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I am angry. I have subpoena power now.

So, in closing, think of all the good you will do when you finally lay down your sword of lies, deceit and violence and embrace what it truly means to be Christian:

Humility



Sincerely,

Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi

Monday, November 06, 2006

One Day To Close

I had this great column planned for the last day before the election but my buddy Bill Maher took the words right out of my mouth.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Once...Twice...Three Times a Thief

As I suspected, it has started. Republicans are doing their damnedest to rig another election. Greg Palast, author of Armed Madhouse, was a recent guest on the Stephanie Miller Show.

According to his report, it seems that some 3-4 million voters are already having trouble with their registrations. And, gosh, what a shock.....88% of them are from minorities and inner cities.

I still think the Democrats are going to take the House but I am going on record right now as saying that if the Republicans manage to hold onto the Senate it will be because of this bullshit....the same bullshit they pulled in 2000 and 2004.




Here is the mp3 for your listening pleasure:

http://www.stephaniemiller.com/bits/2006_1103_palast.mp3

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Maybe Kerry Was Right

See what happens if you don't study and are intelectually lazy...you get stuck in February!!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Let's Not Get Distracted

I think that we all need to be reminded what is at stake next Tuesday.

And what kind of man John Kerry really is...

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

One Week To Go

Well, we have one week to go until the election of 2006 and I thought I would look into my magic crystal ball and predict the outcome. In addition, I will list who Notes From The Front officially endorses in the major races in Minnesota.

But first, let's start with the prognostications.

The Democrats have more or less won the United States House. They have at least a 30 seat lead that does not include any of the tossups. So, get ready for Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Remember that she will be third in line, behind President Bush and Vice President Cheney, in order of executive power. I know many of you neocons out there are shaking in your boots and pooping your boxers. My advice to you is this: stop listening to the propoganda that your side is vomitously spewing out and listen to what she has to say. It may suprise you and if she follows through on her ideas, they have been way too long in coming.


The Senate, on the other hand, is a different matter. It's going to come down to Missouri, Tennesee, and Virginia. All three of those races are virtually tied. If all the rest of the states sit where they are right now, it will be 49 Democrat and 48 Republican without those three states. So, if the Dems take 2 out of 3, they have the majority. Remember if the end up tied at 50 a piece then the Vice President has the tiebreaking vote. Does anyone out there want Dick Vader to have even more power than he already has?

My prediction is that it will be Missouri and Virginia with Tennessee staying Republican. Clairie McGaskill (D) is running against the biggest horse's ass known to man, Jim Talent (R) in Missouri. I have a few readers in Missouri. Please vote for Claire.

If Jim Talent is the biggest horses ass, then George Allen (R-Virginia) is the biggest douchebag known to man. I have a couple of readers in Virginia as well. Please vote for James Webb and send Allen home for good. Allen's racism, misogyny, and outright psychosis is enough to show how unfit he is to be a leader....not to mention his unwavering support of Bush Co's horrifying national policies is terrifically nauseating.

I like Harold Ford in Tennessee but I just can't see a Democrat winning here. Nonetheless, if you live in Tennessee, get out the vote for Harold!

For an exact breakdown of all of the races I urge you to check out Electoral Vote. Com. This site has all the latest polls, maps, and tons of links to informative articles on the election. Now onto my official endorsements. Each name is hyperlinked to that candidates web site so you can check out their information.

For the US Senate, Notes From the Front officially endorses Amy Kolbuchar. She is one of the best candidates to come out of this state in years. Check out her website for her positions on the issues....all of which are dead-on right.

For District 1, NFTF endorses Tim Walz. How about a 24 year veteran of the Army National Guard weighing in on Iraq?

For District 2, NFTF endorses Coleen Rowley. Scroll down and read my previous post about Coleen.

For District 3, NFTF endorses Wendy Wilde aka MOM. I know this Jim's district but y'know he voted for the Iraq War and still believes that it is a good thing to be there. C'mon, folks, that's just despicable.

For District 4, NFTF endorses Betty McCollum.

For District 5, NFTF endorses Keith Ellison.

For District 6, NFTF endorses (with a loud cheer) Patty Wetterling. This is the tightest race in the state. Please vote for Patty and return some sanity to this district.

For District 7, NFTF endorses Collin Peterson.

For District 8, NFTF endorses James Oberstar. Congressmen Oberstar recently took a tour of his district to hear what people had to say. He found that most of his constituency wanted President Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld fired. Cool.

And I thought I would save the best for last. In the contest for Governor of Minnesota, NFTF officially endorses...Peter Hutchinson! Yes, yes. I know all of you are wondering why I am not voting for Tim Pawlenty aka W of the Northwoods.....

Hee Hee. Just kidding.

Seriously, though. Why is Markadelphia not getting behind his liberal pal Mike Hatch? Well, the answer is simple: Attorney General Hatch went after Medica a couple of years back and decided to try to have my good friend's dad, who is on the board at Medica, thrown in jail. So, it's personal between Mikey and me. I think he is a dick.

And I think Peter Hutchinson is a great guy. His ideas are bright and, most important, independent. Thank God!

So, there you have it. My official predictions and endorsements in the most important election of our time. Folks, get out there and vote. Let's see the same size voter turnout that we saw in 2004.

It's time to take back our country!!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

World Champions

Most of you who know me understand that I have a deep love/obsession with St Louis Cardinals baseball. I hang on every pitch, every hit, every game, every year with the emotion of what can only be described as pure joy. When it comes to the Cardinals, I am very much like a giddy school girl on prom night.

I love baseball. It is the greatest game ever invented and the hardest game to play i.e. it requires tremendous athletic ability. People that play it are right up there, in my eyes, with the likes of John Lennon, JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Any player...any team....are all wonderful but if you wear a Cardinal uniform, you are a god. I have said the following often:

Since baseball is the sport that God plays in heaven with the angels, it is the only sport that she takes the time to watch.

Last night, the Cards, who all season have looked highly average, won the World Series 4 games to 2 against the Detroit Tigers. The video above shows the last pitch and the melee of love which ensued afterwards.

It was fucking awesome.

So many thoughts and emotions ran through my head. I thought of my dad and my grandmother and all the games we watched together. Both of them are no longer with us but I know that they are most assuredly smiling in infinity.....wherever the Great Spirit has taken them.

I thought of my 90 year old grandfather who, in his lifetime, has seen them win all 10 of their World Series rings. They have won in the years 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1982, and 2006. My grandfather was at one of those World Series victories. I don't remember the exact date but he told me about how, when he was just ten years old, he got to see Babe Ruth play at Sportman's Park in October of 1926. Amazing!

I have only seen them win twice in my lifetime. 1982 was a great year but this year, with my man Albert, was something truly special. The last time they went to the Series was just two years ago and they were swept by the Red Sox. Less than a week later, George W. Bush was elected President (for the first time) and my men's volleyball team lost to our arch rivals.

It was a dark time.

This year, in so many ways, the Cardinals atonement for their loss in 2004 shows up all their critics and proudly silences the loudmouths who speak of a supposed National League weakness. Their victory last night represents a harbinger of light...of good things to come in the next week and a half.

So, could it be that the country that I love so much is going to make up for the worst mistake it has ever made?

We will find out on November 7th.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

The Fear Card

Well, neocons are playing the fear card again. Gosh, what a shock. Check this add out and tell me if you know of anyone that would actually buy this line of bullshit.

Laura Ingraham said on her show today that "the terrorists are watching our election and we all know who they want to win."

Really, Laura? Because from where I am sitting the only terrorist attack that occurred on our soil was on Bush's watch. And it has been FIVE FUCKING YEARS and we haven't caught the person behind it yet. To top it all off, reports from Afghanistan say that most foreign jihadists are leaving Iraq (too dangerous with that "non" civil war going on) and are now back helping the Taliban.

Great. Good job, neocons! It looks to me like you are INCREASING the chances of a terrorist attack by your failed policy. Your policies have hurt us, not helped us and they make us weaker. Do you want to know that the Democrats will do if they take back Congress?

Cut off funding for the Iraq War, redeploy troops to Afghanistan (where the actual people that attacked us are hiding), and start kicking diplomatic ass up and down the Middle East which will re-establish our country's street cred.

Do you want to have a strong country? Start listening to people like Jack Murtha (D-PA), a twenty year veteran in the armed forces and Vietnam combat volunteer. His plan, which can be read here, is the only sane idea for Iraq I see coming out of Washington these days.

How anyone can take conservatives seriously anymore, in the face of so many facts to the contrary, completely boggles me...

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The Second

It looks like the Minnesota Second is now a battleground as Coleen Rowley, the Democratic Challenger, has jumped up 7 points in the polls and now trails Republican incumbent by only 8 points (42 to 50).

Coleen Rowley is a very interesting candidate. I urge you to check out her website here. She is running a campaign that is befuddling Democrats and enraging Republicans. Rowley was listed as one of Time's Women of the Year in 2002 for being one of the only people on our government that was trying to warn us about the 9-11 attacks. She used to be a Republican until she decided that her party had gone off the deep end. The Democrats don't like they way she is running her campaign, citing her stance on immigration is being to far from the party lines.

She also doesn't seem to want to spend as much money as her opponent does. Rowley has consistently wanted to run a campaign on the issues, specifically getting the troops out of Iraq and redeploying them to Afghanistan, a new focus in the War on Terror, increased veteran's rights (something the Bush administration has been quite poor on), and serious immigration reform.

I really like her. It took cahonies to stand up to Bush Co. and tell them how badly they fucked up on 9-11. She is definelty someone I want representing our state in DC.

Folks, if you live in the Second, vote for Coleen!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Bachmann Part Deux

I can't see why any rational person would vote for someone like Michelle Bachmann. What color is the sky in her world?

Thursday, October 19, 2006

God Called Me

I thought I would post this piece of video to go along with the thread in comments of my last post. This is Michelle Bachman, Republican candidate for the Sixth District in Minnesota, talking about how God called her to run for Congress.

I would like all of you female voters in the Sixth District to note how, according to Bachmann, you (as women) should be SUBMISSIVE TO YOUR HUSBANDS!!

You gotta love that one...



Tuesday, October 17, 2006

How To Ignore Reality 101

Yesterday on the radio I got to hear part of the debate between Patty Wetterling (left) and Michelle Bachman . Wetterling, a Democrat, is running against Bachman, a Republican, in the sixth district in Minnesota. It's been a few years since a politician caused my jaw to drop and transform my mouth into a heckuva fly catcher. I think the last time it happened was when President Bush, less than six months after the 9-11 attacks, said that Osama bin Laden "didn't matter" and "didn't spend too much time thinking about him."




But Michelle Bachman (left) broke the drought when such pearls of wisdom spilled from her mouth as, "Global warming has not been proven to actually be occurring. There is no scientific evidence for it." She also said, "Terri Schiavo was a healthy women who was killed by people who hate life." I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less than pure dribble from the woman that has said that, if elected, she will prosecute any women that has ever had an abortion and put them in jail.

I should really thank Ms. Bachman, though, for showing me exactly why I will NEVER be a conservative: complete and utter ignorance of reality. In listening to her today, it dawned on me how conservatives are just plain wrong on so many issues. Let's take a look at how neocons deal with each issue that is on the minds of voters these days:

Abortion? Just don't have sex. (So realistic.....)
AIDS? Just don't have sex....and don't be gay...(Equally as based in reality as above)
Environmental issues? There are none...everything is fine (contrary to the reams of evidence)
Iraq? No problems there...everything's fine...(600,000 dead people as result of the war)
Education? Kids just need to be tested more...that's all...never mind that everyone learns differently
Economy? Spending? Deficit? Where? Look at the Dow....all is good...
Health Care? Uh, don't get sick and everything will be fine...
Genocide in Africa? So what...they aren't Americans....who gives a fuck?

Up and down the line, neocons refuse to look at fundamental realities of the world. They seem to think that if one ignores a problem, it will go away. Their solutions (if you can even call them that) solve nothing and pander to people who can't handle the difficulties we face. Neocons are good salesmen, though. They sell the "simplicity" because people need to believe the lie. They can't face dealing with reality because it actually requires work and effort.

In other words, conservatives are lazy. They don't want to have to think about an issue and so do many undecided voters, which is why Bush won in 2004. People don't want to hear someone talk about problems (i.e. the Democrats) and present complex, diverse solutions. It's too much work and it also requires too much thought. The current demographics in the Wetterling/Bachman race support my point. In three recent polls, people that are going to vote for Wetterling are college educated or above and people that are going to vote for Bachman have a high school diploma or less.

If you need further evidence of my point, take a look at how Patty Wetterling addresses issues as opposed to Michelle Bachman by following the links below:

Wetterling Solutions

Bachman Solutions

Bachman's issue page reads more like a "Cliff's Notes" version of our nation's problems. I'm sorry, but that offends me. We need comprehensive solutions to these problems so, PLEASE, if you live in the sixth..

VOTE FOR PATTY!!!

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Roof Is On Fire

This week, Professor Kevin Barrett at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has come under fire (again) from the national media for likening President Bush to Adolph Hitler. Howls of protests, calling Professor Barrett a lunatic, can be heard up and down the dial from Fox News' Bill O'Reilly to radio's Rush Limbaugh and all of the other "liberal" media.

Since my heart leaps with joy and glee when neocons get worked up into a lather, I decided to look into this matter myself. There have been a lot of posts in comments on this blog on the similarities between Bush Co and the Nazi Regime. Several people who post here have vehemently refuted such a comparison, calling people who draw such a juxtaposition insane. Some politicos that I have talked to personally say that the current Necon leadership purposefully modeled their approach to seizing power based on Nazi Germany. The question is: how accurate is any of this?

Professor Barrett's main point is that 9-11 was an inside job similar to the burning of the Reichstag in 1933 in Germany. Without reading a single iota of Barrett's research, I went to Wikipedia and looked up what exactly happened at Reichstag. I urge you all to read the full article on Wikipedia. The link is here.

What I read there was appalling.

To sum up, The Reichstag Fire was essentially the beginning of Nazi Germany. On February 27, 1933 authorities were summoned to the Reichstag, Germany's parliament, which was on fire in several places. They found a shirtless man there named Marinus van der Lubbe, a known Communist. Blame was initially placed on him and 3 other Communists who were sent to trial for arson in early March of 1933.

Coincidently, on March 5, 1933 general elections were to be held, at the request of Hitler, to determine whether or not the German constitution should be dissolved, more seats given to Nazis in the government, and Hitler's Enabling Act be passed. This act essentially allowed Hitler to act without the approval of Parliament. Up until this election, the Nazis only had 32 percent of the seats in the government. After the fire and running on a campaign of "see how evil communists can be," the Nazis won 44 percent of the vote. They then proceeded to buy off the other parties in government so they could have the two thirds vote they needed to pass the Enabling Act. And they did.

As the years have gone by, many historians have wondered how such a massive fire could have been started by one man. According to the article, "Considering the speed with which the fire engulfed the building, van der Lubbe's reputation as a mentally disturbed arsonist hungry for fame, and cryptic comments by leading Nazi officials, it is generally believed the Nazi hierarchy was involved in order to reap political gain-and it obviously did."

Does any of this sound familiar to any of you at all?

Look, I'm not saying that Barrett is 100 percent accurate. I still think Al Qaeda was behind the attacks. But he makes a compelling point about the parallels between the Reichstag Fire and 9-11. Think about how strikingingly similar the two incidents are....how each country reacted in the same way, giving unwavering support to the government out of fear....how questions remain about the 9-11 attacks and who knew what and when. Did they let it happen so we, as a nation, would fall in line? And how the elections played out, comparing 1933 to 2002 and 2004, as a result of these actions is quite simply eerie.

I know that some of you will say I am nuts, paranoid, and blah blah blah but I think a lot of these accusations are worthy, at least, of further investigation. They say that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Currently, I have an extraordinary sense of deja vu.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The Blast Heard 'Round The World

Last Sunday night, right around the time the St. Louis Cardinals clinched a berth in the National League Championship Series, North Korea successfully tested a nuclear bomb underground. This was a massively destablizing maneuver that threatens, at the very least, the countries of South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China and, at the very most, the entire world. Kim Jong Il (left), the leader of North Korea, has essentially thumbed his nose at the world and, in doing so, has shown the complete and utter failure of diplomacy on the part of the United States for the last 20 years.

The Bush Administration, in particular, has done nothing to stop this and has allowed "diplomacy by proxy" to occur, letting China handle the matter. I don't want to rip Bush Co. too much here because clearly the things that Bush 41 and Clinton did also did not work but does our current leadership know what the word diplomacy even means? I have talked with many people about this over the last few days and most of them want to bomb North Korea. Some think further sanctions are in order. None of the choices seem appealing to me. If we weren't embroiled in the Iraq War, a military option might hold a little more weight.

The way I see it is that we need to take a page from the Reagan playbook and choke off any money going into North Korea so Kim can't pay off his generals. This idea was put forth by by Congressmen Ed Royce (R-Cal) in a recent interview on MSNBC. He feels, as does John Bolton (US ambassador to the UN), that an an interdiction of cargo comes under the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) launched by the U.S. in May 2003. The measure encourages member countries to share intelligence and train to interdict weapons from North Korea, Iran and other states of concern. All ships going in and out of North Korea would be searched and their cargo potentially seized, not just for weapons, but now for everything.

I really think this is the only way to stop this guy. If his generals aren't being paid, then their loyalty will begin to strain considerably and their will be a coup. Now, what if the next person is worse? Well, I think that is a risk we have to take because the other options of doing nothing or bombing them are totally unappealing.

Oh, and if you want to hear the North Korean's side of all this check out their official web site here. There are lovely souvenirs you can purchase there. Whee!!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

American History

I thought the thread in the last post's comments would be fun to continue after we all watched this highly educational video.

From Wikipedia:

"In response to suggestions that homeowners were at risk from home invasions and would be wise to acquire a firearm for purposes of protection, researcher Arthur Kellermann tabulated in home homicide figures in three cities over several years, and found that the risk of a homicide was in fact higher in homes where a gun was present; his study led to the conclusion drawn by some that the risk of a crime of passion or other domestic dispute ending in homicide when a gun was available was large enough to overwhelm any protective effect the presence of a gun might have against burglaries, home invasions, etc. In seeming confirmation of this conclusion is his little-remarked upon finding that almost all the risk was limited to homes where a handgun was kept both loaded and unlocked, and therefore available for immediate use; apparently, the amount of time and effort required even to just remove a loaded gun from a locked cabinet was sufficient to allow tempers to cool enough to prevent a shooting."

"It has been claimed that Kellerman does not show causation and homes in which firearms are kept may have elevated rates of homicide may simply reflect the incidence of gun ownership in dangerous neighborhoods. However, Kellermann did control for such factors as drug use, neighborhood, domestic violence, and criminal history and still found a significant positive correlation between gun ownership and homicide."

"Some claim that Kellerman does not take into account the incidence of defensive guns uses. However, if guns in the home are often used defensively to deter or scare away criminals then homes with guns in them would have a lower rate of homicide than the homes of non gun owners. As it is, Kellermann found that homes with guns in them higher rates of homicides."

Statistics don't lie. Ask any police officer if they would rather that people had guns in their houses or did not. Most of them see gun deaths everyday and know that it is usually someone you know i.e. a family member that would shoot you. By this indisputable fact, having a gun in your house will increase your chances of being killed. The various stories about how people who had guns in their homes and saved themselves are nice for NRA propaganda but the facts and/or reality (once again, something neocons have trouble with) don't support this claim.

In other words, the boogeyman is not a comin' to get ya...it is your dad or your mom or your older brother that is the bad guy which is the truly sad thing about all of this.

Friday, October 06, 2006

The Worst Idea Ever

With the recent spate of school shootings, there has been a call from neocons and other psychos to arm principals and custodians in our nation's schools.

This is the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard and it really demonstrates the level of sheer stupidity on the part of some conservatives.

Talk about a knee jerk, fear mongering based reaction. Yes, it is sad and horrible that some students have been recently shot at school. It is also extremely sad and horrible that 40,000 people will lose their lives in automobile accidents this year...and next year...and the year after that. Where is the drastic reaction on auto accidents? Put it in perspective, people...c'mon!

Putting guns in schools is NOT the answer to this problem. The chances of it being used or stolen once it's in there is more than likely going to increase the level of violence in schools. This issue demonstrates the problem with gun advocates: having a gun does not automatically mean your safe. It is an illusion. In fact, I bet if every school was armed to the teeth there would still be the same amount of school shootings or more. It is not going to solve anything. It will not be a deterrent. Guns do not protect you from anything. We do not live in Darfur. There are not hoards of psychos gunning for our women and children.

Most kids will go their whole school careers and not get shot at. There are plenty of other things to worry about, believe me. The media takes stories like these and blows them so far out of proportion that soon all of us will believe that our children are constantly in jeopardy from being shot. In the case of Fox News, their wall to wall coverage of the Amish shootings is a hilariously veiled attempt to distract its viewers from the Foley scandal and drum fear into them as way to energize their disenchanted base.

Don't give in to the fear, folks. Stop listening to these mouth breathers that are part of the problem and not part of the solution. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Fair and Balanced?

You gotta love Fox News. They just can't admit that a Republican could be capable of doing anything wrong. So, in an effort to blame the Democrats....again.....they listed Mark Foley, the disgraced congressmen who exchanged dirty emails and instant messages with a minor, as a DEMOCRAT. They say it was just an error but it happened at least twice last Tuesday.

Fair and balanced my ass.

Monday, October 02, 2006

The Bird's Eye View

In the cinema classic, Citizen Kane, the character of Charles Foster Kane (left) makes a statement to the characters of Jedediah Leland and Mr. Bernstein. He calls it his Declaration of Principles in which he promises the readers of his newspapers that his will be THE source of the reality of the world. In that same spirit, I would to make that pledge to all of you.


And, to also tell you, Notes From The Front is going to change.

All of you may have noticed some evidence of this already. First, the tag line now reads "where politics, sex, and religion are always polite to discuss." I want to officially announce that this is a place where you can freely talk about these three subjects without being muzzled by uptight assholes. It drives me loony when people say that it is "impolite" to talk about this stuff. To me, they are probably the most important and interesting things to discuss. So, since people in our culture (particularly my intensely rigid home state of Minnesota) aren't allowed to have passionate opinions anymore (without being accused of being loony), this blog is now officially open for all who wish to shout to the highest mountain tops. Please feel free to let it all hang out, if you will, in these key subject areas.

In addition, starting this week I am going to write shorter columns in the hopes that more people will leave comments and we can have a more interactive discussion. I want to try this for a few weeks and see how it goes. If you have ever wanted to leave a comment, now is the time. It can be as short or as long as you want. You do NOT have to use your real name. Have fun with it and make up a fake name! This is your big chance, guys, you can pretend to be a woman! And ladies...well...most of you that I know act like men most of the time anyway so it won't be much of a difference.

I also want to keep the columns shorter because they can then stay more current. There are many interesting things that happen in the news everyday so it might not be uncommon to see 2 or 3 short pieces a week. I won't be sending out that many email announcements so check back to the blog frequently and, as always, forward the web site address to any friends that you might think would like to join in. There are also going to be guest columnists so if you ever want to write something, send it to me and, more than likely, I will put it up.

In the coming weeks, I will be talking a lot about the 2006 election. This is going to be a big one, folks, and you can rely on Notes From The Front to give you all of the latest poop. And believe me, there is going to be a lot of poop in the next few weeks that is going to be flying around and Notes will be a great locale to watch it soar.

So, all of that being said let's dive in with this week's topic. Looking down on our country from a bird's eye view, it seems like a pretty fucked up place right now. We are sharply divided into three categories: conservatives, liberals, and apolitical. It is unfortunate that the last category of people make up the bulk of the population. Since around 50 percent of eligible voters actually vote, that leaves 50 percent of our public that doesn't care, sits around on their ass, takes the time to vote for American Idol, and watches NASCAR....never caring a wit about how their world is being shaped.

Lately, I have received much flack from conservatives regarding my "condescending" opinion. I suppose the last sentence in the above paragraph could be viewed as elitist but what is with the "I don't want no fancy book learning" trend that has swept the country in the last few years? Don't people want to make themselves smarter? Better through knowledge? I don't think it is condescending to point that out to people.

To me what IS condescending is a bunch of rich white men sitting around in a room figuring out which is the largest most easily manipulated group of people in the country to help them win elections and thus, remain in control of our country's wealth and power. They have chosen the religious right and small business owners. The first group is the easiest to manipulate. Conservative leaders throw out various moral "wedge" issues, act as God passing judgment on the rest of us heathens, and bam!....you have 20 million or so voters. You hit the second group with the fear that their livelihood is going to be taken away (as if it isn't already with conservative leaders controlling all the wealth anyway) and now you have a decent base. Throw in the group of people that don't care and guess what you have? 75 percent of the United States of America in the year 2006!

There is so much information out there that I think many people go into overload and just shut down. There are also people, the majority of which are conservatives and their vast media network, that just flat out lie. Call them on that lie and you are condescending. Whatever. I don't have time for that irresponsible bullshit anymore or more importantly, WE should not take the time to listen to that irresponsible bullshit anymore. When I hear someone say that don't care about politics and they never vote (as a young woman did in my class last week), I cringe. Don't they realize how important voting is? Especially at a local level, elections shape the way we live our lives and our children's futures. What possible way is there to get through to these people? There has to be a way, that is not condescending, that can wake people up and get them involved even if it is just at a local level.

So, the question is...what is that way? There isn't much time left, folks, and we need all the help we can get to stop our country from going in the wrong direction and get it back on track.