I cannot help but wonder about the leadership of this country.  I feel, personally, that this administration is leading us down the wrong path.  Here we are trying to get backing to go into Syria when those major countries (who are far better off economically than us) are threatening retaliation if we should get involved in this civil war.

First of all, why would we send troops there in the first place?  We are in debt so deep, in large part due to the last two wars in which we were engaged, that we can't possible afford to enter a new conflict.  How can a man who closed the White House to tourists, put a wage freeze on White House staff (he should've put a wage freeze on Congress!!!), signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists and banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years (he promptly made the order toothless by immediately granting a waiver to a former defense lobbyist), passed a stimulus package that is creating no jobs across the country, (this bill has given more to the rich than every previous President combined!), did not support and protect our people in Benghazi who ended up being tortured to death!, took a very expensive vacation to Africa (spending millions of dollars) at a time when we are trying to cut back government spending, and more, possibly think that we should involve ourselves in another middle eastern war supporting the terrorists who bombed us on 9/11?  It makes no sense to me!

I know it isn't just Obama's fault.  We have a group of Americans that we voted into office that do not know the meaning of compromise and would rather see American's suffer than allow this President to succeed in anything.  And these same leaders are agreeing to send troops to Syria?  I believe they just want to put another major FAIL under the belt of Obama.

 

A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots

Attributed to Jeff Foxworthy:

If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If, in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but couldn’t be found — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

What a country!

Jeff Foxworthy makes me laugh.....usually.  This hit the nail on the head in so many way.  I am just disappointed there weren't more.  There should be one about the rich not paying taxes (but Jeff is a wealthy guy so maybe he likes having all the tax breaks...sure wish I could afford some of them).   There should be something about having a President fly all over the world with his family during these hard economic times.  There should also be something about being able to pick on Christianity but not being able to pick on Islam.  Believe it or not I'm a Democrat, but I do not like being taken advantage of by my government, I do not like being spied on by my government, I do not like the fact that here in America, during terrible economic times which I personally feel, that all people aren't willing to give more but the majority who have nothing are expected to give all.  Maybe then Jeff can get back to writing things that make us laugh!

Having a very conservative partner who follows closely the words of Gingrich and Krauthammer and yet being a moderate liberal and lover of the arts who reads the Washington Post and Huffington Post, the tug of war that goes on in my head it constant.  Mind you, when Angelo talks politics and the Obama-nation of today I take what he says with a grain of salt, but his words are becoming more and more believable.  Unfortunately, liberal media only seems to post pro-Obama propaganda while the right heads in just the opposite direction.  It amazing since the subject is the same in both cases.  I must admit that the voices of Gingrich and Krauthamer are becoming more and more coherent in this world of bombastic rhetoric.

WHAT?  Newt Gingrich you say?  That man is evil!  He has no morals!  He's been married 3 times and he cheated on his wives!  Well, you know what I found out about Mr. Gingrich?  He has been married three times, and the first time was, in fact, to his teacher.  Yes, his high school teacher.  She would've been arrested today for having that relationship.  His second wife married him to be involved in the political world.  She liked the clout it gave her and would not hear of a divorce.  It was a very unhappy marriage.  As for his new wife, she appears to be very good for the man, and it seems they compliment each other.  A very devout Catholic, Gingrich has embraced her religion and tries to live by its dictates.  Of course, being a woman and a freethinking one at that, this is not necessarily a plus for the Newt, but it does show that he is loyal to his spouse.   And besides that, it was Gingrich that helped balance the budget working very closely with President Clinton during his second term in office.  But what I like about Newt more than any of this is no one likes him, or rather NO POLITICAL PARTY likes him.  He's too outspoken, he's too smart, and he doesn't seem to put up with the arrogance that has infested the present government.  And I like the fact that the wool cannot be pulled over his eyes, he's on top of what's going on in the government today.  Yeah, I think I'll keep my eye out for him next go round!

I am so frustrated with government today.  I really think we should fire everyone, pick up the original constitution and amendments and start from scratch.  We need to find statesmen to lead us and not politicians who take advantage of us.  We need to find people who will take the unfavorable steps to accomplish things like balanced budgets.  We should be electing people who represent the people and not the parties.  And as I get older, and realize what has happened in our government since I have been voting, I believe it's time to "get tough".  No, this doesn't mean get rid of women's rights, or guns, or same sex marriages, but it means that we all need to be willing to make some sacrifices and not just us, the little guys who have no say because we either lack the money or the means to make a difference in our government.  As well, it means to get tough with the men and women who are serving our needs because we put them in ofice.  It means it's time to make each one accountable starting with President Obama all the way down the line, Democrats and Republicans alike.  It's time the politicians remembered that they work for us.

But how to accomplish this is beyond my grasp.  We tried it with elections but once the politician gets into office, he/she tends to forget they represent the people and begin representing a party, or what's best for the people who gave money to their campaigns.  It seems so dishonest to me, yet I have to pay my taxes, I have to follow the laws, I have to be held accountable for my actions, while these bozos just string things along until someone else can make a decision or another party is in office.  They add things to bills which have nothing to do with the original bill.  And they don't listen to the little guy at all, instead playing the political game with themselves and their money bags. 

I wonder if Americans are even aware of the bullshit that takes place in Congress.  And if we realized it what we could do, as a country, to stop the waste and fraud and unconstitutional decisions that are made?  It takes more than an election, that's for sure.  And the media sure doesn't help.  I watch the news and wonder why 3 to 5 minutes is spent on news while the rest of the 30 minutes has to do with a killing in Kentucky or whether the Kardashian baby is a boy or a girl.  What is wrong with people that they put up with this garbage.  Don't we care?

As much as I enjoy seeing the family unit with the Obamas, I have learned not to trust them.  I hear so many rumors from everything to his birth to the denial, by him, of his own actions and those taken by people in his office, that I can no longer believe him.  There is always some truth to rumor and there are so many rumors out there that I question his integrity.  And he is great at playing the blame game.  For example, he added the sequester into legislation and now blames the Republicans for having it (or for waiting until they HAD to have it), yet it was his idea. And what is with closing the White House doors due to the sequester and lack of funds to pay the Secret Service.  That's bullshit!  They should already have the money to pay the Secret Service BUT if you have to cut back something don't do it to the Secret Service.  Cut back some of Michelle Obama's personal assistants...it's rumored she has 20 of them.  And don't play golf with the likes of Tiger Woods.  And talk about misuse of Executive Orders (drones) or Executive Privilege (Fast and Furious).

And it's not just the Obamas and the Democratic Party.  The Republicans are just as bad.  Take Jeff Sessions and the BS he put out about Obamacare.  The Senator stated his findings were based on "a realistic set of assumptions" and he dropped this little nut just hours before the GAO report was supposed to go public.  Unfortunately, the Republicans and those against Obamacare pounced on this and didn't even bother to acknowledge the rebuff made by the GAO.  What the people fail to realize is that the question was put to the GAO by Sessions regarding the worse case scenario and what those results would be.  He required the GAO to project what might happen to the long-term national debt under the following circumstances; (a) Congress acts to end each and every one of the tax provisions that are a critical part of the financing mechanism for the law, (b) each and every cost cutting measure in the law fails completely, and (c) every dollar of spending under the law remaining completely untouched.  He also asked they assess the impact Obamacare might have on the long-term national debt should the law be carried out exactly as it is written and currently exists.  In response this question, the GAO study reported, “The primary deficit declined 1.5 percentage points as a share of GDP over the 75-year period in this (GAO’s Baseline Extended) simulation.”  (Thank you Rick Unger from Forbes for your article!)  Manipulation is the name of the game, and we, as American citizens, are being manipulated by then every day.


Neither party is willing to truly compromise yet they are willing to point fingers saying the other party wouldn't give enough.  Congress is killing us, the White House is killing us, and our people do nothing but glue themselves to the electronics and close their eyes to the destruction of our government.  And those of us that do care have no idea what to do to change things as our hands appear to be tied. Yes, this is a very frustrating time in our government and I don't see any end in sight.

Can we Trust the CIA Reports?

Former vice president Dick Cheney, the puppet master of the Bush administration and instigator for the adoption of torture as an interrogation technique, dared President Obama to release more reports (from the CIA) chronicling the "success of the effort." My question is, are these reports written by the same people that avowed there were WMD's located in Iraq even though the UN failed to find them? And could we TRUST these so called reports to be honest? Somehow I doubt it...don't call his bluff Mr. President. I'd like to say just prosecute him, but he's a slippery eel. He'll get out of it like a greased pig. There is only one punishment for people like Dick Cheney and it's not here one earth but in the afterlife.

Too Bad George Wouldn't Understand This!

So here it is, my paragraph with all my new words. Will take comments and suggestions.

In this time of recession, the resulting lack of spending/playing money is ubiquitous. The hubris of the last administration is no more apparent than in the present market place where the recession is so blatantly "in your face". Having ignored all the signs regarding the financial down slide that the United States was about to take in order to finance a "war on terror"was arrogance in itself. But to be so didactic as to foist our beliefs on people who do not necessarily think or process in the manner in which we do was the ultimate in egocentric behavior. There is nothing so parsimonious as the unfair nonacceptance of differences of opinions or values, especially when these are not necessarily individual but rather those of a whole ethnic group. To perceive that they would even want the types of freedoms that we have is above the pale, and to take whatever order they had and give them freedoms they do not understand was fecund ground for terrorism to REALLY take affect. And we and our troops and contract workers that are still there are left mendicant for retaliation. We should have been more sophrosyne, like the French. It probably gets in the craw of some to admit that the "frogs" were actually correct in their surmise of the Middle East situation. Thank the voting gods that we now have not only another man in office, but another party. Hopefully, he will be able to extemporize using good sense and circumlocution to not only get us out of this useless war in Iraq but to bring about some positive results in the American financial market. If he can't I fear the next election will be nothing but an osculation good-bye for the Democrats

Obama on Leno

I was surfing the blogs trying to pull thoughts together when I ran across a blog by Mr. Stiles at Stiles Point. He was "very disappointed" in a comment made by President Obama on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno regarding his bowling skills which Obama compared to being worthy of the Special Olympics. Now, I must say that the comment is definitely not "politically correct" and any politician should remember that they must appear to be pure as the driven snow once they reach office (even if they did inhale) but comparing it to Imus and his "ho" comment is taking it just a little too far. Calling someone a HO and speaking of Special Olympic bowling skills are, at least in this readers eyes, two different types of insults, not that I am making excuses for such a fax pas.

Even comparing it to the previous President is a bit of a far reach. Let's see, which is the more stupid comment, "...bowled a 129...it was like Special Olympics or something..." or "I am the Decider"... well never mind. One was trying to be funny and the other was funny without trying. But Stiles is probably correct in his field day comment regarding the media. If the former President had said something so self-abasing, it would have surprised us all and the liberal media would have jumped at the chance to make him look the idiot....again. Whereas when Obama made such a blunder, only the Conservatives were jumping for joy....wait, this sounds strangely familiar...isn't this similar to the last 8 years, and the 8 years before that, and the 4 years before that, and the.....Funny what changing shoes can do!

I will admit that I do not believe it was his most brilliant comparison but I doubt if Obama had said "my bowling would make Caroline look good" the rest of America would have gotten the joke. He could have compared himself to a brown bear, but the animal rights activists would have been up in arms. Who knows, that might even have provoked the NAACP as well. Okay, maybe he could have said, "I should have been playing with the one-armed paper hangers" but I'm sure someone who knew someone missing that appendage would have been outraged. Well, maybe he could have said, "Man I SUCK at bowling" but that kind of language coming from a President of the United States is deplorable. So, I suppose his best avenue would have been to keep his mouth firmly closed regarding his lack of bowling technique and skills and just continued with the basketball comment which, I did notice, did NOT cause great furor in the African American community (or any community wanting to raise and eyebrow and a ruckus). Is it because Leno is NOT a politician?

I suppose, once reaching an elected office, it is best not to attempt to have a sense of humor of any kind any more. Allow the common folks like me and you to make the blunders, fax pas, and stupid jokes. I wonder, though, when did we begin to expect such exalted perfection in our leaders? I thought we saved that for God.

Rewards for Failure

I look at this picture and understand exactly the want to put fingers around another's neck and choke the living daylights out of them. In yesterday's Washington Post I read and reread Mr. Libby's editorial explaining the reasons bonuses were paid to certain employees. In "Repairs, and Repayment", he makes this profound statement:

"Mistakes were made at AIG, and on a scale that few could have imagined possible." He goes on to state, "...AIG has made a set of retention payments to employees based on a compensation system that prior management put into place...I would never have approved the retention contracts....It was distasteful to have to make these payments. But we concluded that the risks to the company, and therefore the financial system and economy, were unacceptably high."

In today's paper, I read that he asked that the awards be returned. Some employees did so while others grudgingly kept their take. When asked by Congress for the names of these people, Mr. Libby balked and used the excuse that these certain employees are too good to lose. My only comment after mulling over his excuses for bad behavior was "WTF?"

I don't know about the rest of the United States but this simple citizen is so sick of the questionable choices made by upper management regarding outrageously high bonuses for poor decisions, unethical choices, and basic bad behaviour. Why should we settle for excuses? Then, he goes so far as to comment that he didn't want to lose these employees who would have walked if not given their compensation? Let them walk! In our struggling economy do you think they will actually leave a company that is still paying their salary? Does he not understand the job market today?

It is attitudes such as Mr. Libby's that have gotten us in the financial and moral crisis in which we find ourselves today. But this is the way we have raised the present generation. These employees are the same people that went to birthday parties for others and expected to take home lots of treats themselves. These are the same people who were raised to believe that EVERYONE is a winner, EVERYONE gets chosen for the team, EVERYONE gets a star. They have not learned that there are no rewards for making a muck of something. They have not learned the lesson of true failure. And until we take a step back and LEARN from our mistakes rather than be given bonuses for all the bad choices we make, we never are going to get it and the downward spiral will continue.

Enough Already

I am so completely sick of hearing Limbaugh vs White House I think I will scream! Hey people in the White House, shut up already and do not answer to the Republicans who are trying to stir conflict. This type of discussion is debasing and further remarks from you only add fuel to an unnecessary fire.

I will say I enjoyed someones comment saying that Obama should accept Limbaugh's gauntlet of a debate but only if Limbaugh accepts Obama's challenge to a basketball game...one on one....may the better man win! HAHAHAHA! That would be something I might enjoy watching if I liked seeing slugs get squashed. Shoot, considering the slug I may make an exception. Call me when the challenge has been thrown and met!

Maybe the debate should actually be between Limbaugh and Moore. Those two fat bastards can duke it out between them (neither would get a word in edgeways), though of the two I would choose Michael Moore over Rush Limbaugh hands down. I feel Moore, at least, is for the whole and not the individual.

Notice how you didn't hear much from Limbaugh the last 8 years? Keep that in mind and ask yourselves..."do you really believe he wants to see Obama fail?" Crikey, if the Republicans were voted back into power in 4 years, he would be unimportant, once again, needing to depend on the bad publicity of drug dependence to get into the spotlight. It ALMOST makes me want to vote Republican....almost!

Jon Stewart is THE MAN!

I don't follow television regularly. Though I have a set in my room, it is there for dvd's as it is not connected to the dish or cable. And because I spend most of my time up here when the baby is down for a nap or his parents are home, I have weened myself of the necessity of daily visual overstimulation that having a television set on constantly supplies. When I do have the opportunity to peruse what may be airing, the television is usually set to something more focused toward toddlers than adults, so it becomes a background grey noise rather than food for thought. Alas, how lucky I was to be channel surfing today whilst the baby was being entertained by his mother. I ran across a rerun of a most entertaining bit of...well, you decide.

The Daily Show has always been a favorite of mine. The manner in which Jon Stewart disects the news and newsmakers is comically, yet painfully honest and forthright. And his recent mastication of Rick Santelli is a high point of this type of comedic blindsiding. Jason Linkins, of the Huffington Report, wrote a commentary as he too was impressed by Stewart's verbal gauntlet to CNBC. He, Linkins, went so far as to say "Stewart eviscerated CNBC". And he was not kidding.

Hopefully I have whetted your appetite for a little "Stewart-ship". Enjoy!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Limbaugh - an intellectual?

Rush Limbaugh is the "voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party". If Limbaugh is indeed the "intellectual force' behind the party, it's time for the party to change. He's an arrogant, rude, loud, obnoxious entertainer who takes himself too seriously. There are so many other voices in the party that are worth listening to as well as much more pleasing to the eardrums, so why does the Republican party continue to allow him such leverage?

Maybe it's my mistaken definition of what I believed an intellectual to be. I thought he to be a person who is erudite, attaining this elite threshold when education and scholarly pursuits had gelled leaving a mind polished and a person effaced of all rudeness or incivility. Someone who was well read on many a subject matter, not just reading and holding fast to one side's opinions, but rather being able to turn his brain around to be able to comprehend the other side of the debate.

If Rush Limbaugh is an intellectual, so is Howard Stern....

Isn't it funny how history has changed? There was a time when Democrats were loved by the "crackers" of society, those uneducated and ignorant individuals who couldn't think past their own back yard. And the Republican Party was the exemplification of the educated masses.

Makes me glad to be an Independent!

Twenty-One, A Government Mandated Age of Maturity

It began in the 1970’s when states took it upon themselves to change the legal drinking age from 18 for wine and beer to 21 for all alcohol. Students and young adults across the nation were angered that this Rite of Passage was denied them after so many years in anticipation of its forthcoming. Petitions were written and protests were formed, both sides having valid and strong arguments for their defense of what they felt was right. These arguments were put forth and have been debated on a regular basis since the first legal limit was changed. But it is my belief that we are fighting to change the wrong law. Let us keep the twenty-one year old drinking age in place and use it as a guideline for everything else. In other words, have the government mandate the age of maturity as twenty-one years and make it law that all adult responsibilities and pleasures are limited to only those who have attained this legal age of permissible adult rights and privileges.

One of the biggest privileges as an adult is the right to vote. To have the honor of choosing our leadership should be limited to mature and responsible human beings. The voting choices placed in front of an individual can be overwhelming especially if the voter is not old enough to fully comprehend or appreciate this heavy responsibility. The drinking law proves that the government presently does not feel an 18 year old is responsible enough to make the right decision when it comes to alcohol (not just wine or beer but any alcohol) so therefore it can be assumed that the government does not feel an 18 year old is responsible enough to make any major decisions to include voting for an elected official. This is further stressed by our own Constitution that states no one can serve in an elected position until the age of 25. The logical course would follow that even our own government believes only those old enough to make decisions are intelligent enough to make the right decisions. Hence, the 21 years old Government Mandated Age of Maturity (21GMAM) would apply to the legal age of voting and the right to choose any and all elected officials in every State of the Union.

Another grossly debated point made in this continued under-age drinking argument is the fact we have 18 year olds (and younger) serving in the military. Some of these young people have had the sacred honor of fighting (some sacrificing their very lives) in wars in order to keep us and the rest of the free world safe, a grievous burden that should not be placed on the shoulders of these teenagers. And these same young adults who dedicate their lives to the protection of American freedom cannot even partake in a pint of beer after blasting the brains out of our enemy. This problem can be completely eliminated by the 21GMAM which would not allow anyone under the age of 21 to serve in any of the armed forces. That law would work twofold by eliminating the entire old enough to carry a gun but not old enough to drink argument and as well as guaranteeing that only our adults are getting killed serving in our military. Our children would not have to be sacrificed for our freedom. It also may increase the number finishing high school and maybe, continuing to higher education which in turn would make for a more productive and educated adult society decreasing the need for such things as government supported services aimed at those persons under the age of 21.

And to continue on the decreasing need theme, the driving age should be changed to 21 as well. Insurance premiums for teenage boys 18 to 21 are higher than those of adults (though it usually decreases for both sexes at 25). Why not save money and expense across the board and not allow anyone under 21 behind the wheel? This would limit insurance companies’ abilities to set premiums due to age and sex as 21GMAM would verify adulthood and responsibility for both males and females. This law would also rectify a plethora of other issues to include (but not limited to) fewer vehicles (all those driven and/or owned by teens) on the highways, teens talking on cell phones while driving, teens laughing and chatting with other teens in the vehicle while driving, teens searching for the songs on iPods and radios while driving, teens texting teens while driving, and teen drivers racing vehicles against other teen drivers. Circumstances such as these are factors resulting in the following statistics; “motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds” and “77% of teen crashes involved avoidable driver errors” (as posted on the Arizona Driving School website). These types of fatalities can be completely eliminated under the 21GMAM Law. And finally, this law would prevent teens from using their vehicles to partake in sexual activities.

This works as a great segue into another issue that is rampant in society today and could be eliminated with the 21GMAM; underage sex and its financial and social ramifications. These would be decreased if only individuals of legal adult age could partake in the pleasures of the flesh. It should become law that no one under the age of 21 be allowed carnal knowledge of another without the threat of physical incarceration of the teen and monetary fines to be paid by a teen’s parent(s). Any child conceived from such an illegal means should be put into homes sponsored and paid for by Pro-Life and/or religious organizations. This would lower teen pregnancies, would slow the advancement of STDs among the younger generation, and therefore have a positive effect on the population, sexual health and moral problems plaguing society today.

I realize that the 21GMAM would mean that we would need special facilities to house these types of criminals; after all, one does not want to put an underage drinker or sexually promiscuous teen in the same facility as a hardened, violent criminal. But I feel they could be put into the public housing being utilized by those welfare adults and their families who refuse to find employment that are burdening our society. The orphanages, now sponsored by pro-Life non-profit organizations, can reopen to house the children born to those giving birth under the age of 21, which in turn would provide jobs and housing for the unemployed who used to live on food stamps and welfare in the government housing now being utilized by criminals. The children in these facilities can be raised to take low-income employment (construction, manufacturing or leisure hospitality jobs) which would eliminate the illegal immigration problem that is rampant in our country. It is true that the automobile industry as well as the oil industry would suffer as the number of vehicles on the road would decrease drastically, but the result would be lower toxic emissions in the atmosphere and a greener America which would put a smile on the faces of the left-wing liberals who would probably find issues with the 21GMAM law. And finally, our children would not be dying on foreign soil in a war begun by a leadership voted into office by legal, mature, responsible, twenty-one year old adults.

Just a thought

I recently saw a commercial for the oil companies (not sure which one or if any particular company was actually involved) regarding finding fuel alternatives. My question is this: why do the oil companies have to do this? Why can't someone else who isn't even associated with the allpowerful oil industry find a solution? Aren't they wealthy enough? Don't they hold too much power as it is?

Just a thought....

Gas Prices

Does anyone actually believe our government as well as the oil industry when they tell us that the gas prices are going up in part due to the British hostage situation in Iran? Has no one else noticed how the oil price gouging works? This month is the spring vacation season and gas prices ALWAYS go up during driving holidays. This has NOTHING to do with hostages. This has EVERYTHING to do with making money, law of supply and demand, economics 101. Why lie when the truth makes so much more sense?

Gun Lobby

Can someone please explain to me how a country with a population of 298.5 million can allow a gun lobby whose membership is 4.3 million (that is ONLY 1.4% of our population) to influence the government's decisions on gun control? I find it abhorent that "MONEY TALKS". Does that mean that I, who has no money or influence, also has NO VOICE?

I think if you hunt for food to put on your table, by all means, have a rifle for hunting, but what is the true necessity, the sole purpose of a handgun? Of a semiautomatic 45? One surely doesn't use THAT to bring down a deer or moose or bear, do they? Aren't they weapons used to hunt human beings? To terrorize and violently influence decisions and actions of others? Can someone please convince me that I need one and why? And can you also convince me that by allowing MORE guns on the street will make me and my family safer? Are there numbers out there that prove if I have a gun to defend myself and my family against a "bad guy" with a gun, neither of us will be killed? In my mind, if two people have guns, both are scared, the guns are pointed at the other, someone is going to get hurt.

I can understand "the right to bear arms" especially if trying to free your country from tyranny and persecution...hey wait a second....are you thinking what I'm thinking???

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Spills the Beans

So he has admitted, on tape and in front God and everyone, that he was the mastermind of EVERYTHING! What a man! What a hero in the eyes of his radical followers! What a clever minded leader!...and what a crock of bull! I think if you hold him under water long enough he may admit to masterminding the War between the States as well as the Imperial battles on StarWars. Do you think if we waterboarded Shrub he'd admit to being an idiot???

Another fallen soldier taken way too early in his life

A good friend, the wife of a retired Marine Colonel, emailed this post to me....a blog by someone whose views I strongly disagree with but who wanted to honor and remember one of our many, many fallen children. Please take the time to read Michelle Malkin's post so that this young man will not be forgotten.

Thank you,
Caroline

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006723.htm

Another embarassing administrative cover-up

So Scooter Libby was found guilty, but of what? There were four felony counts which included making false statements to the FBI, lying to a grand jury and obstructing a probe into the leak of Valerie Plame's identity. I guess my question is what was the crime? It seems to me these are smaller crimes in direct relation to the real crime. So, when do we find out about the first and real crime.

It is my understanding the crime first happened way back when proof/support was needed for beginning the war in Iraq. At this time Cheney approached the CIA and requested they find information regarding Iraq's purchase of certain materials used to produce non-conventional weapons from an African country. The CIA approached Valerie Plame's husband, Ambassador Wilson, to go on a fact finding mission. Now, it is this writer's understanding that he was asked to do this NOT because his wife was a CIA operative, but because of his background in Niger, his background as an Ambassador and his ability to ask questions in a diplomatic manner yet still get to the heart of the issue and collect facts. Once Wilson returned to the US with NO evidence to support the White House claim, they then took a new route in order to find "facts" to further their false claims, at this point pulling the UK into the foray and using their "intelligence" to justify our "need". I suppose if the Ambassador Wilson had found true evidence that backed the White House's claim, none of this would have happened. As it was, he seemed truly surprised by what the White House insisted, did a bit more research after hearing the speeches aired to all of us, and needed, in good conscience, to let the American populace know what he knew, first hand. So he submitted his report to the New York Times.

"I thought the Niger matter was settled and went back to my life. (I did take part in the Iraq debate, arguing that a strict containment regime backed by the threat of force was preferable to an invasion.) In September 2002, however, Niger re-emerged. The British government published a "white paper" asserting that Saddam Hussein and his unconventional arms posed an immediate danger. As evidence, the report cited Iraq's attempts to purchase uranium from an African country.

Then, in January, President Bush, citing the British dossier, repeated the charges about Iraqi efforts to buy uranium from Africa.

The next day, I reminded a friend at the State Department of my trip and suggested that if the president had been referring to Niger, then his conclusion was not borne out by the facts as I understood them. He replied that perhaps the president was speaking about one of the other three African countries that produce uranium: Gabon, South Africa or Namibia. At the time, I accepted the explanation. I didn't know that in December, a month before the president's address, the State Department had published a fact sheet that mentioned the Niger case...

...Having encountered Mr. Hussein and his thugs in the run-up to the Persian Gulf war of 1991, I was only too aware of the dangers he posed.

But were these dangers the same ones the administration told us about? We have to find out. America's foreign policy depends on the sanctity of its information. For this reason, questioning the selective use of intelligence to justify the war in Iraq is neither idle sniping nor "revisionist history," as Mr. Bush has suggested. The act of war is the last option of a democracy, taken when there is a grave threat to our national security. More than 200 American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq already. We have a duty to ensure that their sacrifice came for the right reasons."
(http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0706-02.htm)

The above paper, in it's entirety, can be read at the address posted. This New York Times article was cut out of the paper by Dick Cheney, marked up with explanations and comments, and passed on to White House personnel so they could further manipulate the mindset of the American people, begin covering the behinds of their bosses, AND start the ruination of Valerie Plame's career as a useful operative in the Central Intelligence Agency as well as attempt to besmirch the good name of one of our own honorable American Ambassadors. When things don't go the way we want them, we manipulate the information so that we can get what we wanted to begin with, and that, in a nutshell, is what I think is the mindset of our present administration.

Pretty sad that they can play with their constituents in this manner, and even sadder that we allow them the ability to do so. I am sickened by this; the cover-ups, the falsification of intelligence, the gross abuse by our government to push agenda's for personal gratification. An agenda that has done nothing, NOTHING for the Iraqi people except send them into civil war, and has done nothing for our soldiers and the soldiers of foreign countries except send them home broken and torn or in flag draped coffins.

What the hell is wrong with these people? It puts me in mind of Richard Nixon and of Iran-Contra. It makes me question the values of the Republican Party. It seems in the last two generations (with the exception of Gerald Ford who was a truly generous and morally ethical individual) once one of their representatives arrives into a seat of power, egotism and self-gratification become the core of the administrations. They seem to have become the "PIT BULL" of political parties.

What was that ugly thing that happened in the Clinton administration? Oh yea, he got a blow job by a young woman that I am still convinced was in the Republican Pocket . I mean, for God's sake, who gets sperm on their dress and doesn't send it to the cleaners (FOR TWO FREAKIN YEARS) unless she is PLANNING to blackmail or embarrass the person to whom the bodily fluid belonged to begin with? Well people, better one man get pleasure from some under the desk sexcapade than an entire population get the pain of being reamed in the hoo-haw by our own elected personnel. Not only is this uncomfortable and degrading but it is extremely expensive!

Administration Frustration

Sometimes I think I should not watch the news. It is just too infuriating. More frustrating is, as the story evolves, being proven correct in an original assessment. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the God's truth. So way back in once upon a time time, when we were still living in the middle east and the second Gulf war (you know the first one that Shrub was directly involved with where we were fighting actual terrorists in Afghanistan?) was about to begin, the Cheney/Rumsfield entourage descended upon us like Richard the Lionheart and his band of Crusaders. Our opinions, nay our knowledge as middle east experts was never given any thought as the American guests and their minions treated the area as though it was theirs for the taking and to hell with everything else, proving once again that Americans can be arrogant and belligerent in their foolish tenants and endeavors..

The next step In this President's middle east muckup was the abandoment of the true mission. That's right, the Shrub and his aphids decided we needed to leave Afghanistan, where the true and real terrorists were located, where we sent them running into the hills like scared rabbits, where we were milliseconds from capturing and/or annihilating them completely, and head to Iraq where nothing, and I mean NOTHING, was threatening. The danger in Iraq was NOTHING. Saddam Hussein was too arrogant (sound familiar) to even allow other factions such as Iran, Al Quada, or anyone else who may threaten his power to even set foot into his inner circle. But Shrub wanted Hussein so badly he could smell the man's sweat. Shrub had to show up his Daddy!

And so he begins another (NO IT WAS NOT THE SAME ONE) war. Begins it with the threat of WMD's and having that fail he sidesteps into Democracy and the need to instill it in that area of the world. The man should be a professional dancer with the sidesteps he's taken since beginning this "crusade". And what do we have today, March 1, 2007? We have Iran with Nuclear intent. We have Korea with Nuclear intent. We have little if any respect in the foreign community. We have a dead Saddam Hussein from a country that cannot possibly fathom the idea of living together as they are tribal and have the need to wipe the other tribes out in order to survive. (Sounds a bit like genocide doesn't it? Welcome to that area of the world!) And we have Al Qaeda in Pakistan, on the Afghanistan border (where we abandoned the original idea of wiping out terrorism), rebuilding and strong, and again, a terrorist threat to our people and the greater western world. And Osama bin Laden? Who knows? But be he dead or alive, he is and will always remain a hero in the eyes of the radical Islamics.

So I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who voted for George Bush, NOT the first time for I can almost forgive you for that, but re-elected him into office that second time. I hold YOU personally responsible for the mess in which we now find ourselves. I think, in my humble opinion, you have proven in our government, as well as in governments across the world, how democracy doesn't work. You have turned our three rings of power into a joke. The Judicial is almost entirely FAR right and there will not be the opportunity to round out their ideals until one kicks the can or retires which I do NOT foresee happening for many years. The Legislative is on the cusp falling to the "Dark Side" AGAIN as it is being held for ransom by one Independent Lieberman who is making threats to become a Republican if ...(http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2830045). And the present Executive is just a permanent water stain on the fine wood of our democratic system, an ugly mark that will cost the American people so much more than money and an election to restore it to it's former glory.

Unfortunately it will take many, many years before we can regain our "good" name and are admired by others in different parts of the world. It is regretful that we pulled Great Britain right down with us and spit in the faces of those countries who were compelled to question our information, our motives and our goals. Freedom fries my ass!

Senseless War

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/24/Iraq.main/index.html

Life with its emotions, conflicts, circumstances and how they all intertwine never ceases to amaze me. I have spent the last three days pretty much wallowing in self-pity. I was actually enjoying the feel of it seep between my toes and drip through my fingers. I had begun caking it on me like so much dead sea mud at a spa thinking maybe it would improve my complexion. Then I opened my email this morning.

Throughout my ex-husband's military career we made a plethora of friends with whom, I am happy to say, I continue to associate and correspond. We may not see each other for years and only send a Christmas card and some scattered email, but if we sat down over a glass of wine, it would be as though no time had lapsed from the last time we did the same. It was one such pair from whom I read some dreaded news this morning.

They have a son, Andrew, who is a very talented and charming young man but who couldn't seem to completely focus in college. Eventually he left William and Mary to come home and attend school locally while deciding which avenue in life he wanted to travel. Once that decision was made, entirely by him, he waited until the night before he was due to leave to tell his family that he had enlisted in the Army. Sadly, his unit is one that is a constant in this war in Iraq, specifically in and around Baghdad and they have been taking some pretty big hits in the last two days.

Roni and Dave were watching the news when NBC broadcast a story on the Military Hospital in Baghdad. Nine soldiers from the Stryker Brigade (Andrew's Unit) were being treated for injuries. This unit and, specifically his Company, had been at the heart of fighting in the Sunni neighborhood along Haifa Street. The report that was being aired contained video about this fighting. Later CNN reported that one soldier had been killed and two were wounded. Andrew had told Roni and Dave that when a soldier is injured or killed, the outgoing information is "quarantined", so right now, Roni and Dave are sitting on the pins and needles of worry until they receive some kind of word from our government.

So please, for all the Andrews out there, for all the Roni and Daves back home sick with worry, send your prayers. And don't sit on your laurels feeling sorry for yourself because you are bored at work. Get productive; write letters, go to demonstrations, talk to your friends and associates, volunteer at a local base, visit a veteran's hospital, talk to your congressman and let's figure out how, as a community, nay as a country, we can get our children home! There is no way we can end the war that WE started, but there must be a way we can begin peaceful negotiations.