Thursday, December 31, 2009

Celebrity Death Pool 2010: The picks that matter


Last year, a few friends including myself took part in our first ever "celebrity death pool." The concept is to have a draft in which each participant picks 10 celebrities or notable persons they think will die that year (points are computed by subtracting the celebrity's age from 100). Unfortunately, our pool only lasted six months compared to the year it usually takes to complete a death pool, so the historic year in celebrity deaths did not really effect the outcome - I think Bea Arthur's death won it!

But since a new year is upon us, and last year was such a historic year in celebrity deaths, I decided to leave you with a list of crazed-celebrities/politicians I would like to see kick the bucket in 2010. Please don't take this the wrong way, as I don't wish to harm these people myself, but if the good lord (or Satan) could just give them a little help getting to the other side, it might make the world a better place in 2010.

1. Dick Cheney (32 points)

No body and I mean NO BODY has been a bigger menace to unity, truth and security in the U.S. over the past year than Dick Cheney. The former vice president who tortured us (no pun intended) with his unconstitutional policies for eight years, just wouldn't seem to go away as he criticized the new president on every move he made and set himself up to look like the "I told you so" guy if a terrorist attack is to occur on American soil. Since it doesn't seem like Cheney is going to shut-up and go away any time soon, not to mention he has suffered multiple heart failures over the years, I have listed him as my number one person to DIE in 2010.

2. Osama Bin Laden (48 points)

While I think many Americans have their doubts that we will ever catch the man responsible for the attacks of 9/11, he is still a symbol for all those terrorists out there who wish us harm, not to mention he is one of the final pieces in the puzzle in terms of us avenging the 3,000 people who died in the World Trade Center attacks. Here is to finally catching and killing the swine if he is not already dead.

3. Rush Limbaugh (42 points)

He went into the Hospital with chest pains today (Dec. 31, 2009), but it appears he is stable so we might have to wait a little longer for old Rushy-boy to drop dead. Sure he is entertaining, but it is hard to root for a guy that doesn't even root for his own country to succeed. The failure of Barack Obama means the failure of us all, so with that said, Rush Limbaugh, and his unpatriotic rhetoric needs to disappear once and for all in 2010.

4. Glenn Beck (55 points)

I don't think my choice here needs much explaining as Glenn Beck's sanity comes more and more into question each time he takes the air to host his talk show on FOX. I don't know if he should just drop dead or be carted off in a straight jacket, but either would work. Hell, maybe he already escaped from a mental institution and has been fooling network executives and the idiots who actually listen to him ever since - kind of like Ray Finkle's character in "Ace Ventura." Seriously, has anyone done a background check on this nutjob. Either way, something has to be done about Glenn Beck, so either he needs to get fired, admitted to an insane asylum or drop dead in 2010 - which ever comes first!

5. Joe Lieberman (33 points)

Forget Benedict Arnold, Joe Lieberman is the ultimate trader in America today. Over the past year, the former life-long Democrat, and current Independent Senator from Connecticut, has been making liberals lives a living hell - and to think this guy was a few hanging chads away from being vice president a decade ago. Since that time he has supported the war-monger, John McCain, during last year's presidential election, encouraged our nation's participation in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tried to stop health-care for all - and while he was not completely successful, he was successful at killing the public option - and has called out the president on preemptively striking Yemen, when the president had already begun bombing the country weeks before the most recent attempted terrorist plot. While he is not the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, he is the biggest asshole. And that is why if something terrible were to happen to Joe Lieberman in 2010, all of our lives on the left would become just a little bit better.

6. Dick Army (31 points)

We all thought Dick Army had disappeared from the political spectrum once and for all, but like all good things it didn't last as Army has reemerged as possibly a bigger nuisance to liberal ideals after forming the so-called "Tea Party Movement" earlier this year. These morons are most notable for their disruption of Town Hall Meetings dealing with health care earlier this year. While Army has been successful in starting a new movement - like it or not - he has also been even more successful at using the movement to make more than $800,000 for his company, Freedom Works, that sponsors Tea Party events. So here is to stopping big government and Dick Army's money making schemes once and for all.

7. Sean Hannity (52 points)

Sean Hannity could be the biggest asshole on television. While he might not be as crazy on the surface as Glenn Beck, it is hard to deny that this guy is the king of all right-wing douchebags. Plus, he is a so obsessed with Sarah Palin, I could hear his hand pounding against the table as he beat one out to the former governor of Alaska in a recent interview.


8. Michele Bachmann (47 points)

If any one is as crazy as Glenn Beck it has to be Michele Bachmann. Not only did this nutjob want an expose on who is patriotic and who is not patriotic in Congress during the 2008 elections, she has continued her crazy rhetoric, blaming everyone but herself for exploiting the insane comments she has made concerning government over the last year - maybe the expose on patriotism should be focused on Bachmann. Not only has her words frightened us all, Bachmann has also become a devout member of the Tea Party Movement. If you think Sarah Palin is crazy, wait until you meet Michelle Bachmann.

9. Kim Jong Il (32 points)

He might be dead, he might not be dead. It has been a myth that has surrounded Kim Jong Il for years and has made celebrity death pool particapants leary about picking him. But since he is a man that continues to mystify death pool participants, not to mention his pursuit of nuclear arms, I just could not in good faith leave Kim Jong Il off this list.

10. Karl Rove (41 points)

I have been hoping this little turd blossom would drop dead since he managed to get George W. Bush elected eight years ago and not much has changed.

Thanks for reading my choice for celebrity deaths in 2010. If this list happens to freak you out, just remember the cardinal rule of celebrity death pool: "they're not real people, they're celebrities."

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Lost War in Afghanistan


President Obama announced his decision last night to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan for a period of 18 months. His decision, while not surprising, is disheartening to a person who not only supported him from the beginning, but has given him the benefit of the doubt through a tough first year in office. While I am not ready to abandon all hope on our new president's failure to provide the type of change I had envisioned during his campaign, time is ticking on him to start moving this country in the right direction.

Not that I or anyone else should be surprised at the move to send more troops to Afghanistan, considering he said throughout the campaign that he intended to focus our military efforts on the war, including the growing threat of terrorism in Pakistan for that matter. So it is hard to get upset or say, as some people have suggested, that he stole their vote. I think many people just wanted to hear what they wanted to hear when it came to Obama during the election and missed a lot of the substance.

But when I think of all the wasted lives and money, I can't help but know this is the wrong decision. Plus while President Obama uses many of the same arguments George W. Bush once did (i.e. attacks of 9/11, threat of al Qaeda) to sell the war, I just don't understand how we can think fighting a war in a third world country, against an enemy that couldn't even be picked out of a police line-up, is going to make America more safe. If anything our presence in Afghanistan, and our lack of focus on domestic issues at home, is what is making our nation more vulnerable to a terrorist attack.

What we should be doing is withdrawing from the Middle East, re-energizing our military at home, putting money into strengthening our boarders, but not to a degree where it jeopardizes our freedoms, because as Patrick Henry so famously proclaimed "give me liberty or give me death," and focusing our efforts on reducing the deficit, creating jobs, investing in energy and funding domestic programs like education and health care to ensure the future prosperity of America. If president Obama was to see this type of "change" then we could be on a road to prosperity and not constantly defending our interests against our fears of the world - for "there is nothing to fear but fear itself."

Not that I don't understand the president's reasoning and refusal to allow America to fail in a country that harbors the type of monsters that are the biggest threat to American security. Plus I know he doesn't feel President Bush ever did enough to make America successful in Afghanistan in the first place and Obama wants to give us the chance to win the war. As he said during the campaign "I am not against all wars, but I am against dumb wars."


While the number of additional troops is a problem for most Democrats, Republicans have a problem with the 18 month time table that intends to start withdrawing troops in the summer of 2011. This on the other hand is probably the one aspect of the plan that pleases most Democrats, because it sets a date we would like to believe will signal the end of the war. Of course, that withdrawl date hinders on how things are going on the ground, but you have to imagine if Obama expects to get re-elected in 2012 he will be withdrawing those troops no later than the summer of that year.

While this is a major blow to all of us Democrats, we have to give the president we elected a chance to do what he thinks is right for our nation. For if you were listening during the campaign you would have realized then that he intended to focus our efforts on the war in Afghanistan. Not that it makes his decision right, but if we are going to get through this the president has one right idea, we must be "united." And that is why I am giving the president my full-support until the summer of 2011. But if the troops aren't starting to come home at that time, then I have to withdraw my vote on election day 2012.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

What I am thankful for this Thanksgiving



Before you run off to stuff your face full of delectable's this Thanksgiving, I figured I would leave you with a list of all the things I am thankful for in the past year in politics. Above, you will also find one of my favorite moments from last thanksgiving - "Sarah Palin pardons a thanksgiving turkey as others die around her." Classic Palin! But that's why we love her!

What I am thankful for:

President Barack Obama
He is off to a rough start and it might get even rougher after Tuesday's announcement that he will  commit more than 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, but in a decade that is already being deemed the "Decade from Hell," Obama has been one of the only high-points. Obama, not only captured our votes, but he also captured our hearts by promising hope in a time when Americans had all but lost it. For a short period of time Obama brought out the best in us, well most of us at least, and hopefully by next year that campaign magic will be back and so will the economy. 

Sarah Palin
I know, I know, I hate Sarah Palin as much as the next liberal, but thanks to her the 2008 election went from being a tight-race to a virtual landslide for Barack Obama. Plus, whether you like her or not, she always seems to make people laugh.

Health Care reform
We are not out of the woods concerning health care reform yet, but we are well on our way after the House approved a new health bill and the Senate voted in favor of moving forward with debate over the bill that includes a public option. It's not looking like the bill will get passed by the end of this year, but it has at least created a heated debate over health care and how to ensure it's a right and not a privilege.

The Dead reunite for Barack Obama
Couldn't resist this moment. While Barack Obama mania was sweeping the nation last year, three out of four of the members of legendary rock group, The Grateful Dead, reunited to perform a concert titled "Deadheads for Obama '08" at San Francisco's Warfield Theater in the young politicians honor. A few months later all four of the living members, including the Allman Brothers Band, performed another benefit at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University, which I had the honor of attending. Better yet, the reunion shows led to a 23 show run by the band for the first time since 2004 this past spring. And if you know me, there is nothing I am more grateful for than The Dead!

The end of the Bush Administration 
Who isn't thankful for the end of the Bush Administration, which saw the worst attacks ever launched on American soil, two unnecessary wars, a failure to adequately help our own people after Hurricane Katrina and the total annihilation of the economy and most of our basic human rights. If that wasn't enough, we also had to put up with the Idiot and Chief himself, not to mention the rest of the freaks in his administration (Cheney still won't seem to go away) for eight whole years. But it's all over now and we should all be thankful for that - even if we did get Sarah Palin in exchange. 

The Soldiers
And last but not least, the thing I am most thankful for is all the brave men and women who are overseas this holiday fighting to keep our country safe. While I don't agree with the wars, never have, never will, and I am fearful of the continuation of a lost war in Afghanistan, you have, and always will have, my full support, respect and appreciation. 

Monday, November 23, 2009

President or Jihad? think about it



Man the level of insanity in this country right now is killing me. Forget the terrorists I am starting to become more freaked out by the thought of some of the nuts that we let roam around this country, especially in the wake of the Sarah Palin phenomenon.

There is not much to say about this nut, except that I don't believe he necessarily hates Obama, but just the idea of government, which isn't rare in America today. But I just get a kick out of how these people are against government, but then always want it to help bail them out. How these Republican politicians are supposedly against government, but yet aspire for the highest offices in government - the reasoning just baffles me.

But you have to watch this clip, I mean if you think Obama is doing a bad job maybe its because you have been listening to nuts like this guy, who have no idea what they are talking about, for way to long.

Kennedy vs. Catholic church



Did you hear this nonsense about Road Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the son of one of the greatest political families in American history, apparently being instructed by his nutty pro-life Roman Catholic Bishop to stop taking communion three years ago and ordered diocesan priests to deny him the Eucharist because of his support for abortion rights.

I mean who does this ass hole think he is. I am a confirmed, non-practicing Catholic, but my Grandparents were pillar's of our local Roman Catholic church, and life-long Democrats to boot. Never in my life did they share their stances on abortion rights with me, but no matter what their position was, in no way would they allow it to influence how they vote, much less how they judge the character or faith of a person.

I mean whatever happened to separation of church and state, and when did the Catholic church get involved with moral issues concerning someone's job or the laws of a state. Because you know how much I like being a member of a church who treats me like an giant turd sandwich all because of my own personal beliefs. And beliefs might I add, that only make sense in modern America - this isn't 17 fucking 76 people. The choice to have an abortion, like it or not, is a basic human right and not a privilege for women. It's not like I have ever known a woman who intentionally got pregnant so she coulf have abortions, plus it is not like pro-lifers support birth-control, which is insane because expecting people not to have sex is like expecting Dick Cheney to shut the fuck-up and go away, it's just not going to happen. If anything most women I know choose not to have the abortion even when no one, except maybe the church, would blame them if they chose to go through with such a procedure.

Plus I find it hard to take moral advice from a guy whose religion has seen its "trusted" priests prey on the likes of young boys. And what about the rapists, thieves and murders who are encouraged to turn to Jesus. Are they denied communion? I am willing to bet not, but Kennedy should be treated below such low-lifes. I mean something is just not adding up here. Maybe the Bishops mother should have gotten an abortion and then I wouldn't have to waste my time addressing such a ridiculous issue.

But anyway, in the clip above Matthews makes some great points to the Bishop, who fails to give an answer as to what legislation he would pass to stop abortion and whether or not he would punish anyone who received an abortion under the law. Matthews points out that while the Bishop calls abortion "murder," he is not necessarily in favor of punishing anyone for having an abortion. Which leads me to ask, 'if you are going to create a law to ban abortion and then not enforce the law, what good is the law?' I just wish Matthews had asked him if he supported the death penalty - although Road Island does not have it in place - because it always seems that pro-lifer's are staunch supporters of the death penalty. I just get a kick out of how they care about your life before you are born, but not so much after.

But really the Catholic church shouldn't be turning away business considering all their economic hardships, especially a devote follower who comes from a vast amount of wealth - of course the Bishop never said he stopped asking Kennedy to contribute donations, just taking communion.

But I'll stop now and let you get to the video. I think Matthews says it all.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

MSNBC Interviews Clueless Sarah Palin Supporters At Book Signing



A great look into what kind of freaks are actually showing up at these Palin book signings. It is now apparent that America is even more fucked up than I had originally suspected. I think part of Barack's problem is he is too intelligent and needs too learn how to dummy down the rhetoric. I mean he has somehow managed to make affordable health care for all sound more like the rationing of health care. We should have just called it Medicare for all in the first place, not a public option, then we might have gotten this whole issue behind us by now.

But anyway the two peeps in this video are a great example of the type of morons who are making Palin a millionaire and driving the rest of us to the brink of insanity. But these two are about as sharp as Palin, so I see why they like her so much. But I don't understand what the deal is with these freaks and the constitution. I mean Obama was a fucking constitutional law professor, if they like the constitution so much maybe they should have voted for someone who knows a little bit about it - or even someone who reads for that matter. I also suspect that Joe guy to be be either (A) a child molester or (B) a serial killer.

I really hope she comes to my neck of the woods. I just love when the circus comes to town!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sarah Palin: A dishonest, worthless person?

So the moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived (drum role please!): Sarah Palin's first and hopefully final book "Going Rogue: An American Life" is available in stores now.

I am sure you are all as excited as I am to read a book about a person I am almost positive I am smarter than and even more certain I have nothing in common with - plus I am part of the "liberal elite," so it was only natural that I couldn't resist attacking the honest, hard-working right-wing hockey mom on the day of her book's release - although I think that $7 million advance she received takes her out of the running for middle or working class.

While I have not read the book, or intend to read the book for that matter (I lose enough brain cells a day getting high), it is obvious that while she most likely contributed to Barack Obama's landslide victory in last year's presidential election (thank you very much, I think), she does have a devote group of followers much like Ross Perot did when he ran for president.

However, unlike the confident, business tycoon, Palin is less of an idealist and more of a characterization of what the McCain campaign and the media created during last year's election season. Her identity and the one she portrays on the national stage is unpolished and fake, not necessarily because she is a poor politician, but because she is an Average Jane, who doesn't have the personality traits, political knowledge or quick thinking to be an effective public figure on the big stage.

Aside from her quirky mannerisms and nauseating, self-righteous attitude that is probably as much her own as any other idea she has offered as a politician, she has attempted to capitalize on the media's characterization of her being a "rogue" candidate during last year's election - using the term not only in the title of her book, but to characterize herself in many of her speeches. Even during the election the term "rogue" has seemingly become her mantra, which makes me wonder if she, or her handlers, even know what the term means. Webster's Dictionary defines the word as a (1) vagrant, tramp or (2) a dishonest or worthless person : scoundrel - which sounds about right to me, so maybe they do understand its meaning after all.

But in all seriousness, while I don't understand, but accept that she is a popular sub-cultural figure in our society, much like Paris Hilton once was, I can't even begin to fathom what it is about her that fascinates so many people - lover or hater. I mean at this very moment I am wasting a great deal of my time to write about her book of revenge, which she didn't even penn. I mean is it just me or is Palin like that "mean girl" in high school who is constantly trying to make other people's lives a living hell. We have all known that girl and Palin's new book is just another opportunity for the mean girl inside to manipulate people into believing she is the victim and everyone else around her who may have opposed her or defied her is out to get her.

During a recent interview with Rush Limbaugh, Palin told him that she thought it was good when people questioned members of their own party - which I would agree with. However, the only problem is where the hell was she, and the rest of the Republicans for that matter, when George W. Bush took a hundred billion dollar surplus and turned it into a trillion dollar deficit. Where was Palin's challenging voice concerning the two unnecessary wars Bush created and his failure to provide the proper relief for those who lost their homes and lives in Hurricane Katrina. I could go on and on with the laundry list of mistakes the previous administration made, but I think you get the picture. The point is while Palin has found a voice in a party that has not only lost its way, but also forgotten what it stands for, she is using her voice not to offer any real solutions to America's growing problems, but to bad mouth anyone and everyone who does not believe in her views. But I must say she definitely has the "it" factor, because she certainly can bring out supporters and always seems to intrigue her haters - myself included.

The book itself has already been chastised by the McCain campaign, and many reporters closely associated with the campaign, as a falsity - but it isn't going to dissuade readers as the book is already expected to be a New York Times Best Seller and more than 1,500 suckers lined-up outside a bookstore in Detroit earlier today to purchase it and get a possible autograph. Now wouldn't you think she should be thanking John McCain and the morons that ran his campaign for allowing her to become VP, and thus filthy rich, instead of attacking the poor old freak who made her who she is - but what else would we expect out of Palin or the rest of the money grubbing nuts who are trying to capitalize off her new-found fame for that matter. (most notably her daughter's baby daddy, Levi Johnston)

Now the only question left to answer is 'will she run in 2012.' Palin announced today that if she was to seek and win the Republican nomination for president, she would consider joining forces with Fox News anchor and certified lunatic, Glenn Beck, as her running mate. Now if you are a person who is worried about the world ending on Dec. 21, 2012, you have something to really fear.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

It's been one year since America voted for Change


It's has been one year since millions of Americans from across the country flocked to the polls and overwhelmingly voted for change in a nation and world that so desperately needed it. Now the only question remaining since Barack Obama's historic election is 'how has America changed?'

On the surface it is easy to see how Obama has changed us as a nation: the mood, our optimism, a renewed self-belief in ourselves and our status around the world has all changed with our decision to elect the most popular public figure in the world. I think we often forget about these obvious changes in the face of Obama's struggles to change the failed policies of the last eight years because we are living it and not just observing it like the rest of the world. But when you talk to foreigners about today's America compared to that of the Bush administration, there is no hiding their excitement over all the possibilities that could evolve out of America in the future.

However, as Americans we are not outsiders and we are the people who actually are living the change that has come to our nation, so it is understandable all of the backlash that has faced the young president - especially when there is a small group of nuts out there who would argue the sky is red if Obama said it were blue. But some people will never be happy as long as Obama is president, much like many liberals would have never been happy as long as Bush was president - although I like to think we gave him more of a chance.

But for many of us who voted for Obama, America might not seem much different considering the two wars continue to wage on overseas, jobs continue to be lost and health care continues to kill thousands of Americans every day. But in time all of these issues will be resolved and Obama not only believes this, he knows it. I too know it to be true because by the 2010 elections America will be withdrawing troops from Iraq and turning over power to the Iraqi government, the economy, which is already showing signs of improvement, will start to create more jobs as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act continues to be spent, and we should have a health care package that, public option or not, will help to save thousands of lives through regulation and expanded care.

Of course while the president struggles to make the right decision to resolve all of these major dilemma's that Bush not only in many instances created, but failed to resolve, he has also instituted the kind of change which we can all see, including the closing of Guantanamo Bay, the repudiation of Bush's tax cuts for the rich and policy that limited federal funding for stem cell research, appointed the most diverse and bipartisan cabinet in American history and nominated the first Hispanic woman to the Supreme Court.

On top of these fundamental changes, Obama has promised to repeal 'don't ask don't tell,' rid the world of nuclear arms and offer diplomatic talks to resolve some of the major issues dividing America, its allies and its adversaries around the world. And while America will always come first, Obama is also looking to the future of working in a more globalized world.

So while the haters out there continue to rip on our new leader for not bringing about what in their minds constitutes as "immediate change," which he never promised in the first place, the notion that Obama has failed to change anything is like saying Bush changed America for the better, which any way you look at it is not the case.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Obama wins surprise Nobel Peace Prize: Republicans call for bombing of Norway


I take it Republicans don't vote for the Nobel Peace Prize. Because if that were the case, you can bet President Barack Obama certainly wouldn't have been named the 2009 recipient and instead whoever contributed the most to their campaigns over the last year would have most likely come away the victor (can you say health insurance company CEO).

But thank god the Nobel Prize committee does not except money from lobbyists, which allows them, if nothing else, to preserve the idea of peace on earth. Which would probably explain why the war mongering, in it for themselves, swine's of the Republican party are usually being lectured by the Nobel Peace Prize committee and not praised. I can just imagine what Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck will have to say about this. We'll probably be talking about a Tea Party rally in front of Noble Prize committee's Norwegian head quarters next week (Rabble Rabble Rabble), maybe even the total annihilation of Norway all together.

But enough about those sick bastards, because while they sulk over our president's monumental win (like they would if he reached world peace, stopped global warming or cured cancer), the rest of us should be proud that we now have a president, who is praised by the Nobel committee, instead of being chastised for unilateralism like his predecessor George W. Bush had been.

The Nobel Prize committee cited President Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" in declaring him the winner of the acclaimed award. The Committee also attached a "special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

"Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened," The Nobel Prize committee said in a press release. "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."

President Obama becomes the third sitting U.S. President to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt won the award and President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the prize in 1919. President Jimmy Carter most recently took home the award in 2002, for his mediation in international conflicts.

Obama has not commented on his victory yet, but he does face a major decision in world peace in the upcoming days as he is scheduled to make a decision on General McChrystal's request for 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the award says a lot about the shift in U.S. foreign policy since Bushy left office. It is now up to Obama to take his vision and rhetoric and turn it into real action, so that future generations can live in a more peaceful world than we find ourselves living in today.

"For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges,'" The committee concluded in the press release.

Congratulations Mr. President!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The power to choose: Why not a public option?

The debate over health care has been waging on in Congress and amongst the public for months now and our leaders, like children, still haven't agreed on a health care bill that will provide competition and give everyone the opportunity to acquire affordable coverage. At the center of the debate is the argument over the public option, which would create a government run health care system much like Medicare, in order to facilitate competition by giving people an additional option other than a private insurance agent to choose from. If it seems so simple to me, then what is all the fuss about?

Not that strong opposition to a government run health care system hasn't been met with extreme opposition in the past. When Harry Truman became the first president to suggest a universal health care system in the 1940s, after he became concerned with the quality of health care to all Americans especially those living in rural areas, opponents to the idea attacked him by using many of the same accusations that have been slung at the Obama administration like "Socialism," Communism" and sometimes even "Nazism." These same people also spread heinous rumors about "euthanasia" and "death panels" that we hear today.

But 70 years later, and all the stories of how health care has ruined millions of innocent, hard working Americans lives, not to mention directly caused many of the economic problems facing the country, I am boggled by the fact that there are actually individuals in our society and elected officials, well not so much the Republicans, that continue to use the same accusations in an effort to stop all Americans from acquiring affordable health care. What bothers me even more is that the majority of Americans are in favor of a public option (New York Times/CBS poll: 65 percent favor public option; 26 percent oppose such a plan), while a recent poll taken of American doctors shows that 63 percent support a public option

While I understand why politicians like John McCain (R-Ariz.), $546,000; Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), $425,000; Max Baucus (D-Mont.), $413,000, Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), $257,000; and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), $249,000, oppose such a bill that would include a public option based on their campaign contributions they have received from top insurance companies, I am always mesmerized how, not the majority, but a good portion of Americans continue to oppose an option that not only makes common sense, but would benefit them by creating more competition and lowering costs of private insurers. Insurance companies are so powerful in Washington they have spent nearly $1 billion in lobbying over the past two years, so if you are one of those people who oppose the public option, you are just another example of people being manipulated by big insurance.

But I still don't get what these lunies don't understand about competition and why the same people who oppose health care because they are afraid people on welfare or illegal immigrants will receive the same rights they have - although these groups already have better health care through a government run system called Medicade - are opposing something that will not lower insurance costs and at the same time line the gold plated pockets of the rich insurance company executives. Why is it that people who complain about being poor, and bitch about the rich, always end up sticking up for the rich and knocking down the poor when they have a chance to make a difference. I guess that is a question for a psychiatrist, but on the surface you would have to say because most average Americans don't know any rich people and don't want the dirt bag living down the street to have the same rights they have - yeah, it's fucked up.

However, in the end these pathetic Americans are just caught up in the same web of lies that have stopped our nation from getting universal health care for more than 70 years. But the people we should really be blaming are the swine's in the Senate and House, who would rather line their own pockets with campaign contributions than vote in the best interests of voters in their own districts - for example Republican John Boehner's district favors a public option by more than 50 percent, but he continues to wage war against such an idea in order to do what is right for himself and not the American people or more importantly the people of his district. These sick fucks are willing to mortgage the future of a nation for their own political gain - the type of people that would sell their own children into child slavery for a guaranteed reelection.

What bothers me most though, is that as a Democrat we thought with a majority in the House and Senate, coupled with a Democratic president in the White House, would guarantee that we got the type of legislation passed that would finally work for everyone instead of a few. However, hope, promise and doing what is in the best interest of the people has once again fallen to the all mighty dollar. Because if you think about it, it really makes no sense not to have a public option other than you fear that people would one day decide they like it better than what is offered by public insurance agencies, who have killed millions of Americans and sent millions more into economic catastrophe all to save a few pennies. I mean what else is there to be afraid of? What else is stopping us from having the same type of health care system that has worked so well for our grandparents with Medicare, and most every other civilized nation on this planet. That is why the only ones who should oppose the government run option is the health insurance companies that have everything to lose, not the people that have everything to gain through such a plan.

So I ask all of you who oppose or are leaning one way or the other on the public option, without any of the ignorant accusations and excuses, what you have to lose by the implementation of a government run health care plan. Give me one reason why it is a bad idea and one reason why private insurance companies would lower such rates without any competition and then we can actually start to have a real debate over the whole public option issue. Because in the end all of us will be mandated to have health care, so why don't we just make it easier for the waitress, the office assistant, the convenience store employee and everyone else who works tirelessly to make this country what it is, the chance to have affordable health care once and for all. And anyway we all really lost when the single payer system was never even seriously considered as an option in the first place.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Grayson's attack on Republicans: Good, bad or just plain funny?

Florida Congressman Alan Grayson is taking a new approach at combating the Republican lies that are clouding the real debate over sensible health care reform. He is telling people if you get sick, Republicans want you to "die quickly."

Grayson's move is along the same lines as the Republicans continued accusations that Democrats are trying to "socialize" medicine in America, through a plan that included death panels to rid the country of the old and chronically ill.

Many Republicans are trying to compare Grayson's comments on the House floor along the same lines as Congressman Joe Wilson's "You Lie!" outburst to the president while he addressed congress. They have even called for him to be reprimanded as Wilson had been by House members.

Now some would say Democrats should be held to the same standards as Republicans, but Joe Wilson offended not only Congress, but the office of the presidency through his choice words during a joint session of Congress, while Grayson made a two minute speech to members of the House. And there is a huge difference. But if Republicans want to hold Democrats to standards then they should also take on the responsibility of living up to those standards themselves - for they are the ones who started this volatile health care debate in the first place.

But while I believe Grayson had every right to say what he said in the setting that he said it, as well as every right, when asked to apologize, to stick it right back in Republicans faces by apologizing to the more than 40,000 people who die each year because of a lack of health insurance, Democrats need not follow the lead of these bullies and instead lead by example. It has been shown that most Americans today are sick of the petty bickering and lies that are spread by most notably the Republican party. We see these nuts on TV, like the woman who called then candidate Obama an Arab during a McCain rally last year. This type of idiocy is exactly what the majority of Americans are sick of hearing. When Bush first left office, I liked to think as a nation we were going to leave behind the Karl Rove politics of fear, but I guess I was wrong.

So while deep down I commend Grayson for giving the Republicans a taste of their own medicine (Man was it funny to hear their reaction! I am laughing as I write), I also believe that for Democrats, and all elected public officials for that matter, to be effective leaders, they must live up to a certain standard that exceeds the politics of hate and fear that is currently being directed out of the Republican party. But it is still funny to see the angry right cry about Grayson's accusations, espeically while they continue to try to sell their fairy tale death panels to the American people.

Friday, October 2, 2009

"Kill Obama" Facebook poll goes too far


Q: Should Obama be Killed?
1. No
2. Maybe
3. Yes
4. Yes if he cuts my health care



Death panels, concentration camps, organ-harvesting, gun touting radicals, Republican mutiny and angry mobs have been just a few of the attacks launched against America's first African-American President, Barack Obama, since taking office.

While all of these hate filled attacks are associated with a small, but overexposed movement against our nation's young, African-American President, one recent poll on the popular social network site, Facebook, asking whether or not President Obama should be "killed," has taken the level of hate that currently exists in our nation to new levels.

While the poll has since been taken down and the creator received a pleasant visit from the Secret Service, it is a disturbing thought that a person would even consider such a heinous and inhuman act of assassinating our leader. On top trying to insight a possible assassination attempt, this poll shows a level of naivety among the Facebook/MySpace generation, and the anti-Obama supporters, that feel they can say or do anything without repercussion.

First of all this person is lucky they asked such a question in a democratic nation, because if this had been posed under another regime, you can bet this person would probably never be heard from again. But this is America, where such stupid actions raise concerns and visits from men in dark suits, but nothing else.

While I find the poll to be appalling as an American citizen, and yes I would have found it just as appalling if it had been posed about President Bush, I believe this type of action is a direct result of the president's race and more importantly the crazed verbal attacks being waged against him by a small group of right-wing nuts, conservative talk radio hosts and Republican officials, who have relentlessly attacked him on every front since taking office.

The culture that Obama's presidency is breeding among conservatives is exactly what he promised to change during last year's election. But if we don't start acting in a reasonable, civil manner as a society, then there is no chance of our president ever achieving the success and togetherness he envisions for our country.

It is not President Obama that is the problem with America as many of his dissenters would lead you to believe, but rather it is these bastards, who care more about their egotistical self-interests than aiding their fellow countrymen and respecting their nation's leader. And while I stress such an attack is as much against Obama as it is the Presidency itself, we must also remember when you call for assassination, you are calling for the death of an innocent human being, who has a wife, two kids and has never done anything directly to harm any Americans.

As a citizen and patriot of this country, I am fed up with these lunatics attempting to bully our president and our fellow countrymen around at the expense of their own gain. We must begin to stand against such tyranny and say that no more will we allow the office of the president to be disrespected in the way it has been for the past eight months, and in many ways the past eight years.

Friday, September 25, 2009

A step in the right direction: Obama calls on world to combat nuclear weapons, climate change and economic crisis

Supporters of President Barack Obama, who feel as though change was just a mantra associated more with the ambitious president's campaign than his presidency, should begin to rest easy after the newly anointed president laid out a list of objectives intended at changing not only America, but the world, during his first address to the United Nations General Assembly.

While New York and the rest of the world has bare witness to some circus like antics from the world's most powerful dictators, terrorists and leaders since their arrival in the United States, which was highlighted earlier this week when Lybian dictator Mommar Gaddafi tried pitching a tent in Donald Trumps backyard (and more importantly the backyard of the victims of the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombings, which Gaddafi funded), Obama has shinned on the world's stage, insisting that the interests of the world’s peoples are shared, more than at any point in human history, and the international community must embrace “a new era of engagement” to confront pressing challenges such as nuclear proliferation, climate change and economic crisis.

“The time has come for the world to move in a new direction. We must embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interests and mutual respect, and our work must begin now,” Obama said.

In his speech to world leaders, Obama laid out "four pillars" that he expects will lead to a better future for the rest of the world. These new benchmarks include "nonproliferation and disarmament; the promotion of peace and security; the preservation of our planet; and a global economy that advances opportunity for all people.”

Obama said if we are to achieve these objectives then democracy and human rights are the key elements to success.

"Just as no country should be forced to accept the tyranny of another, no individual should have to accept the tyranny of their own government," Obama said.

Aside from the promotion of security, Obama's "four pillars" can be viewed as a new beginning for American foreign policy that was dominated over the past eight years by a unilateral effort to ensure the United States' security and prosperity, while leaving the rest of the world in the dark. Obama stood firm on his ideology which promotes a united front worldwide in order to work towards peace, ridding the world of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD's) and combating climate change - a drastic change from the views of the Bush Administration that included former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who didn't even believe the United Nations existed.

Obama's two biggest stands signaling America's new outlook on the world could most strongly be seen in his reassertion of his campaign promise to create a world free of nuclear weapons and his, and with it Americas, recognition that the world cannot "drag its feet" on the issue of climate change anymore.

“There will be no peace unless we take responsibility for the preservation of our planet,” Obama said. “Our efforts to end conflicts will be eclipsed by wars over refugees and resources. Development will be devastated by drought and famine. The world also faces the judgment of future generations by failing to act."

Obama called on foreign leaders, whose countries were most responsible for climate change during the 20th century, to be leaders on the issue, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and educate third-world countries on the threats of global warming - a theory the Bush Administration dismissed as phony, even with the studies confirming climate change by the world's leading scientists and the EPA.

Obama also championed his mission to rid the world of nuclear weapons during the summit and achieved a major step in his fight for a world free of WMD's, while acting as chairman of the U.N. Security Council - making him only the second U.S. president to do so since the council was formed in 1946. In his inaugural day as chairman, Obama received a unanimous vote of 15-0 in favor of an initiative to end nuclear proliferation worldwide. He promised that the U.N. would uphold their end of the bargain by working with Russia to substantially reduce strategic warheads and launchers, and ratifying the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that would permanently prohibit nuclear testing.

Obama also reaffirmed his interest in reaching peaceful agreements with Iran and North Korea over their pursuit of nuclear weapons, but stressed the two nation's must be held accountable for their pursuit of nuclear weapons if they failed to comply.

"The world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear,” Obama said.

Obama's first major showing in front of the world seems to have brought about a resounding shift in how America looks at the world in terms of foreign policy, and hopefully how the world looks at America. While Obama called for world leaders to step up to the plate to combat such issues as peace, WMD's and climate change, he also stood against the notion that America will continue to act alone in this world as it did during the Bush Administration.

"Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone," Obama said. "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

While many president's have touted the idea of world leaders working together over the years, Obama was able to do it in a way that said, "If we are going to fix the world, we need to work together once and for all or face the consequences." While in some ways he did sound like President Bush by not apologizing for America's unilateral actions to protect itself in the face of endangering the rest of the world, in many ways he did what all Americans should expect of him by showing strong leadership which we has often failed to show on such domestic issues as health care reform. While he failed to apologize for any of America's actions, Obama's message did have this humble appeal to it that more or less said, "if you don't act, America will fail too, because we alone cannot solve the problems of the world. "

The biggest difference between Bush and Obama's foreign policy that can most be seen, aside from his ambition to fight climate change and rid the world of WMD's, has to be his understanding that while he believes America to be supreme in the world, people in other countries also feel their nation's to be supreme. This type of respect, and ideology, is a drastic change from that of the Bush Administration, who for years acted alone and without any regard for the concerns of the rest of the world and its people when addressing its foreign policy.

While some might be quick to chastise the president over his failure to withdraw troops from Iraq earlier, or the additional troops he recently deployed to Afghanistan, we must realize that it took eight years to get into this mess, and it will take sometime to untangle the doings of the previous administration, while not losing sight of the fact that many innocent Iraqi's and Afgani's have now come to rely on America for security in this increasingly dangerous world. But one thing is for sure, we finally have a president that is willing to act like a leader on the world's stage instead of a bully - and that has to be a refreshing proposition to both Americans and the people of the world.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Obamania hits Capital Region - Local supporters tear gased amidst riot

It was a beautiful day outside for President Barack Obama's visit to Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY, on Monday. That was until an angry mob of the president's blood sucking supporters ruined what was supposed to be one of the most patriotic days in the history of a city known as the birthplace of Uncle Sam, all so a handful of Obamaniacs could get a glimpse of the man, who is more popular than Taylor Swift to his supporters and more despised than Kanye West to his opponents.

The scene outside was ugly as a group of crazed, left-wing nuts convened in front of William's Hall on the HVCC campus - the location where the president was scheduled to speak at 11:30 a.m - about an hour before the president's speech that was to cover technology, education and future job growth in the Capital Region.

Preparations for the president's visit had been in place since the weekend, when it was made known that there would be no tickets available to the public. I even failed to muster up a press pass from those filthy swine's over at HVCC, who failed to return my emails or calls. While what ensued is hard to blame event organizers for, it is also impossible to neglect giving the bastards who put this poorly crafted event together none of the blame at all, especially when they were well aware of what has happened in other towns and cities that barred the public from seeing the president.

Yes it was a sketchy scene from the beginning, and I should have known better than to head to the battlefield, but this journalist refused to allow such an event to transpire without any coverage - especially when it was taking place in my own backyard and knowing what type of hacks would be covering the event.

I arrived around 10:30 a.m. after walking 10 blocks to the front lines, where police had blocked off the only road into the college. It had been impossible to find a place to park and I eventually left my car in a traffic jam about two miles from the college along with other supporters who had done the same. As I approached the college I found police had blocked off the road leading to campus.

"So what's the score here?" I asked one officer who stood in front of the barricade. "Do you think it will be safe to even go near where the president is speaking?"

(No response)

"Don't worry man, I am not one of them," I whispered, pulling a cigarette out of my coat pocket and lighting it. "I am just journalist here on assignment to finally uncover the truth about what really happens at these events."

He continues to stare straight ahead - expressionless - but I can see the fear in his eyes and feel the nerves gripping his body to the point of paralysis. Just as I started to walk away I heard him say quietly, "Be careful in there. If things get to out of control I hear they are just going to start shooting people. The same thing happened at one of the president's speeches in California about a month back. The public was denied entry and people just went baserk. Police and secret service were forced to kill 12 people before the crowd finally dispersed. The public doesn’t know about any of this though, because the president's office is attempting to keep it a secret. They feel if people have to subdue their enthusiasm over him it might stop their momentum going into the next election. But those bastards deserved it. I saw the videos of what they did that day. Those people are mad, mad tell you."

I knew all too well the horrors of what the officer was speaking of. I was at Obama's inauguration, or the Chicago Riots times two as most of us who were in attendance have come to call it. The media had the event pinned as a peaceful affair, and were able to back up their stance by using images from one of Ronald Reagan's inaugurations to fool those at home watching the historical event unravel on TV. But I was there, I saw the horrors of the Obamaniacs with my own two eyes, and if I knew those images wouldn't haunt my dreams for the rest of my life I would relive that day for you, but I promised myself, and my psychiatrist, that I would never allow myself to conjure up the horrors of that day again.

I made my way through campus where I could feel the energy jolting through people as they frolicked to William's Hall hoping to catch a glimpse of the president. They seemed overjoyed to be in the same place as the president, but I knew that feeling would only last until they reached the Hall and were denied entry.

I had originally received word of the Obamaniacs presence at the event through an email that said they intended on meeting at a local grocery store across the street from the college about two hours prior to the event. They were asking people to design signs supporting the president and his policies. But don't let them fool you. For these are no ordinary signs, but rather decoys. You see the supporters bring the signs hoping not to draw attention to the shank-like weapon they have designed out of the wooden poles used to hold the signs up. They use their hands to shield the bladed shaft that they will use to fight off anyone attempting to stop them from entering and seeing the president speak.

I eventually arrived at the Hall to find hundreds, possibly even thousands of frantic Obamaniacs convened outside, holding their death signs high in the air, ready to attack anyone attempting to stop them from getting a glimpse of the president. Secret Service and local police in riot gear have created a barricade where some of the 450 special guests invited to attend the event were to enter through. As I approached the savage mob, I could tell they have become enraged by the sight of the lucky few who gained access to the event. I watched as attendees nervously filtered into the Hall, keeping their eyes keenly on the crowd that would love to stab anyone of them in the back with one of their wooden shanks to acquire their credentials.

While the attendees were well shielded from the Obamaniacs, they did not hesitate to scream obscenities and threats at the attendees. Some even offered up sexual favors from their wives in exchange for their right of entry. It is horrifying to think that these fiends would sell their own family for a glimpse of Obama.

There were a small number of anti-Obama supporters outside, but the few brave souls who had arrived were now realizing the inclinations of their visit as a group of Obamaniacs circled the demonstrators, yelling death threats and prodding them with their pro-Obama signs.

"You better hope I am not your bitch mothers, fucking doctor once universal health care is passed," One man screams in anger. "Cause if I am I will leave her to die, while I make sure you and your whole family is whisked away to some concentration camp where you will be sodomized for months on end until they decide to burn you alive!"

It was horrifying and words cannot even begin to describe the sinister look on the faces of these lunatics. I can't believe my own eyes or ears, for it seemed the hate in these people had grown even greater than what it had been in January. Worse yet there is nothing anyone can do to stop these fiends from harassing and possibly killing these men and women as they become more enraged and violent as fellow supporters passing by egg on the quivering demonstrators attackers.

Inside the president had taken the podium. His speech, which I would later see, was filled with hope for a region that was once a leader in manufacturing before companies began relocating from the area over the past two decades. He spoke about not only the importance of the United States becoming a leader in education, but more importantly, reinforced to the citizens of the Capital Region that there are talented workers living here. It was a broad ranging speech that touched upon the history and future growth of the region, and how it can be an example of what the U.S. will need to do in the future if it intends to create new jobs and continue to be a world leader in manufacturing.

"Troy, NY has bore the brunt of a changing economy," Obama eloquently said.

While the message inside was positive not only for our area, but our nation, outside the Obamaniacs had turned what should have been a joyful affair for the region into one of anger, fear and violence. All sorts of objects from cell phones to shoes filled the air as men, women and children of all races grew in anger just knowing the president was well into his speech inside. A man next to me even collapsed to the ground after a falling battery crushed his skull. I witnessed a group of children attack a elderly man holding an anti-Obamacare sign and an old woman get beat with her purse by a group of teenage girls, who did not appreciate her comparison of Obama to Hitler, Stalin, Hussein, Mussolini, bin Laden or King George III. I hurried to escape the area, trying to blend in with the Obamaniacs by shouting things like "Kill the pigs!" and "If I can't see him no one will!" as I nervously shuffled my way to the edge of the mob.

Gun shots rang out and a cloud of tear gas filled the air just before I reached the mob's edge. I hit the ground, quickly struggling to my feet to fight my way to safety in the midst of the frantic crowd that at this point was being met by the batons of the SWAT team, who had been called as back up in case of such a situation. I am bounced around the mob like a female porn star in a gang bang, punching one of the Obamaniacs in the head and knocking him to the ground after he had tried to throw me in front of one of the officers to shield him from his baton. The officer sees I am not one of them and spares bashing my head in with his baton, which I am grateful for. I finally reached the edge of the crowd and ran across campus to safety as Obamaniacs fled the scene all around me.

I later found out that the president was quickly rushed out after the speech, and attendees were secured inside the Hall while police dispersed the rest of the crowd. They told them that there had been a security breach by some gun-touting Republican, but not to be afraid.

After the dust settled I bravely made my way back to the war zone to find bodies strewn about the ground like rotting dead elephants after an attack by ivory poachers. The carnage is horrific as I vomited just at the sight of the brain matter that s the walkways leading up to the Hall. Although the violence was nothing like what I had witnessed in Washington on that cold day in January, it was equally as horrifying in nature. As quickly as I arrived back at the scene, I am shuffled away by secret service personnel just as I see a large black truck with government plates pull up and law enforcement officers begin loading bodies into the back of it.

Later that night when I turned on the news I can't say I was surprised to find that none of the local news stations or the national news stations like MSNBC, CNN or FOX for that matter had covered the horrific events that unfolded on the college campus during the president's speech. But I cannot in good conciseness, not even if it means my life, continue to neglect what is happening at these events. That is why I voted for John McCain, not because I agreed with any of his visions for America or his policies, but because if he had won you could be certain no one would have shown up to have seen him speak, much less an angry mob of star struck fans.

Let's just hope someone can talk some sense into these maniacs before it turns into a national catastrophe, which was narrowly avoided at President Obama's inauguration. If only the president, or other Democrats, who have influence over these blood sucking lunatics, would stand up and tell these bastards to stop their heinous actions before innocent people, or possibly even are president, gets killed!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Obama to visit Capital Region


Local news organizations throughout the Capital Region have confirmed that President Barack Obama will be stopping at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY, on Monday to discuss growing technology in the area and the new Global Foundries computer chip plant that is currently under construction at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta.

Rumors had been swirling over the past week about a possible visit by President Obama to the Malta campus in order to discuss one of the few feel good stories concerning future job growth in an area of the country where unemployment rates threaten working families.

The project was green lighted earlier this year after three years of speculation and doubt over whether or not the company, Advanced Micro Devices, would actually build at the site - even after they were promised billions of dollars in tax incentives by State officials. But even with the incentives, Advanced Micro Devices, which was originally supposed to build at the site before it merged with an Adubi company, The Foundry, to form Global Foundries, was looking as though they would be lucky to stay in business for the next year let alone commit to building a multi-billion dollar computer chip plant in Malta. But alas company officials formed Global Foundries and committed to the region by purchasing 220-acres of land at the technology campus in order to build the $4.2 billion dollar facility.

The project is expected to create approximately 1,400 new manufacturing jobs, with an estimated payroll of more than $88 million. It is also expected that the project will create an additional 5,000 new, indirect jobs in the region, with an estimated payroll of $290 million per year.

Construction of the facility is expected to create approximately 1,600 new construction jobs, plus an additional 2,700 jobs that will be created due to future growth, so it is no wonder why with unemployment numbers continuing to rise, Obama is taking the time to visit the region to highlight this type of future growth to the rest of the nation.

Obama will arrive at Albany International Airport on Monday before heading to a global conference at the United Nations in New York City. The visit was originally intended to be held at the Luther Forest Campus, but has been moved to HVCC due to its close proximity to Albany Airport. Obama is expected to arrive at HVCC around 11 a.m. on Monday. If all goes well I should be there in person with a full report on what the President had to say later that day.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Kanye West, Joe Wilson, Serena Williams and Mad Tea Parties: Why is America so Angry?

It was supposed to be a new era of hope and change in America, but it seems less than a year after President Barack Obama's historic election all of that promise has faded and anger, hate and fear has been left standing in its place.

Not that we haven't seen this coming for sometime. Americans have been filled with hate and fear for years now, and with good reason, for over the past eight years we have been tricked into two unpopular wars, lived in fear over threats from terrorists, watched as our government failed our fellow countrymen during Hurricane Katrina and stood by and watched while our economy collapsed and politicians spent record amounts of tax payer dollars attempting to fix it. Yes all of this would be enough to bring any country to the brink of insanity, but Americans are starting to take it to new levels, both politically and socially.

The signs of this new found anger, which appears to be even more intense than that seen at any time during George W. Bush's presidency, seemed to show signs of hitting its tipping point this summer when outbursts at Town Hall meetings left America possibly even more divided than ever, not only on the issue of health care, but the issue of civility.

Before and since President Obama took office, conservatives and anti-Obama proponents have been lashing out at our leader in an alarming manner. At one event, 12 angry men even felt the need to brandish guns on their hips in broad day light at a rally in which Obama was speaking. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat or even a gun owner you have to be pretty sick in the head to think that a group of guys openly displaying guns and carrying signs reading, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants," is a great representation of constitutional rights or that the men actually did so with good intentions - people don't feel the need to carry guns unless they feel the need to use them. I understand the "excuses" of why these people are so infuriated with Obama and his so called socialistic tendencies, but when will one of these nuts present an honest and sane reason for acting so enraged. I just don't understand protesting the second amendment at a health care debate that has nothing to do with gun laws - although this is not uncommon when Democrats are in office. It is also not uncommon for Democrats to get shot at as history shows.

It's hard to argue that a lot of this anger isn't a direct cause of racism towards our nation's first African American president. I think when the history of the era is written it will go down as one of the most racist periods in America since segregation. But what else could we expect as the Republicans continue to become more out of touch with today's voters, and with it, control of America's government. We knew they wouldn't just go down without a fight.

And Democrats can also rest easy knowing that Harry Truman was widely considered a socialist by his opponents when he tried to introduce universal health care to the country some 50 years ago. Today the word socialist being associated with Truman's name is like associating compassion with Osama bin Laden. I am also confident that in time this will hold true for Obama in time. And instead of being a socialist he will be a hero for having the strength and conviction to stand up to his opponents and pass a bill that makes health care a right instead of a privilege once and for all. Although I believe the reaction to his race will be the bigger story 50 years from now.

What might be even more alarming than the horrifying actions displayed by some on the right as of late, is the host of lies and misinformation that has been directly connected to this movement, its supporters and their actions. Most of what these people have been putting out there are blatant lies in an attempt to sabotage policies that most Americans want to see put in place. And don't get me wrong, most of these extremists are not real Republicans, they are the ones that have held their party and its ideas hostage since Bush took office. The party that used to stand for small government and high moral principals, is now responsible for expanding the federal government to its largest point in history and has its elected officials trying to blow other guys in airport bathroom stalls. These nuts on the far right are misleading weaker minded Americans into a bottom less pit of lies, hate and fear, just like they did for eight years during the Bush administration and will continue to do so until people and the media stop paying attention to them.

And don't get me wrong, Bush faced great anger and conspiracy theories from crazed liberals and other left-wing groups throughout his presidency as well - although even the average American was fed up with him by the end of his second term. He too was compared to Hitler, which is so not original on the liberals end and even less original on the Republicans end, but I don't recall guns being openly displayed at his rallies and in fact if I do recall Bush would not even allow people to ware anti-Bush t-shirts to his events. I also tend to believe Bush was given more of a chance by liberals and conservatives at the beginning of his first term, even in the wake of his controversial election victory.

But these dumb, inbred bastards on the right have taken lying and insanity to a whole new level since Obama took office. Another great example of how desperate these people are to stop anything liberal from being passed, is the rumors they are currently spreading to convince honest Americans that the Obama administration is planning death panels, internment camps run by the national guard and guillotines to behead sick Americans in order to harvest their organs and body parts. And the sick part is there are people that will actually believe this shit. I remember during last year's election I met a few people, who were actually Democrats, and they had been convinced that Obama was in fact a Muslim terrorist. But as Homer Simpson so famously said, "If TV said it, it must be true." The sad part is aside from these accusations being obvious, blatant lies, they are also fueling a new culture of anger and hate in America, both on the left and the right, in a time when we are trying to heal our country after eight years of devastating policy, adjust to a changing world and get used to seeing a new face in the White House.

At the heart of these lies that are threatening the American way of life, and the safety of our President, is the changing communications over the last decade that are driving these views and making Americans believe that fiction is indeed fact. The 24-hour news station (most notably FOX news), talk radio, bloggers (yes that includes myself) and the internet has destroyed print journalism and the accountability that accompanied it.

What scares me even more about this new movement is the total disregard for the truth, and instead more of an intrigue in conspiracy, which has spawned such radical groups as the "Birthers" and brought back the militia movement.

Radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, who you would think should be held to some level of accountability for what they say, if not by their listeners by their advertisers, just add more fuel to the fire. Savage, who obviously cares more about lining his pockets with money than doing what's best for America, recently compared Obama's health care plan to Adolf Hitler's extermination of the mentally incompetent and the disabled in Nazi Germany during the 1930s.

"But of course this can not happen here in America (speaking of Hitler's internment camps)...If your grandmother has Parkinsons or a child has Sarapalsy you can definitely understand that there will be discrimination against them. Of course it will not be discrimination in the sense that you know it to be discrimination, because it will be framed as social justice. Of course if you go and try to appeal to the government while they are euthanizing your child by not giving them the care that they need, you will be considered un-American by Nancy Pelosi and perhaps will be rounded up, and put in an internment camp for an interminable period of time. You see there are internment camps being planned. You may not understand it cause you didn't see it on CBS News, but I direct you to an article that came out on World Net Daily...now you say they are making it up, they are just scaring you, but it is an ad for national guardsmen to run internment camps!"

Of course this type of insanity is not unprecedented in American history. There has long been these movements of anger and fear driven by those trying to change the landscape of American politics. Most notably during the 1950s when junior Senator Joseph McCarthy started accusing President Truman and other honest Americans of being communists or communist sympathizers during a period that's now known as McCarthyism. These type of lies and paranoia that resulted as direct result of the Second Red Scare in America led to investigations and questioning of the accused before government and private panels.

I remember when I learned about McCarthyism in high school and then college, and how crazy, not only how my fellow classmates and I thought it was, but how even the presentation of the period was supposed to reflect this insane paranoia that was to be a lesson to all of us living in America at the time - even though one could understand the cause for concern over communism after World War II. It was something as teenagers and young adults that we chuckled at as the naivety of the era, and what we perceived to be a less-developed society than we felt existed in our time. But today McCarthyism is starting to look tame in the wake of suspicions over death panels and concentration camps that will turn us into socialists or communists or Nazi's or whatever the popular word of the day may be for the nuts who are promoting it.

We should of saw all of this coming though. During last year's presidential election, the nutty-Congresswoman from Minnesota, Michelle Buchman, told MSNBC news anchor, Chris Matthews, that she suspected President Obama and other Congressman of having anti-American tendencies.

"I think the American people should take a great look at the views of the people in Congress to see if they are pro-America or anti-America. I think the people would love to see an expose like that." Bachmann said at the time. A statement that almost cost her reelection and with good reason.

It is one thing for some right-wing radio talk show host who is playing to his audience to accuse a Democratic candidate/U.S. Senator of being un-American, but it is another thing when it comes from a U.S. Congresswoman. Even worse yet the delusional Bachmann tried to claim that she never said such a thing even after they played the remarks back for her. How about we do an expose on whether or not Michelle Bachmann is anti-American or not. Or would that be just crossing the line?

Of course Bachmann is not the only one who has used the anti-American card as of late. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used the term "un-American" to describe some of the protesters at Town Hall meetings. While I don't agree with calling anyone that loves their country no-matter what their political views un-American, there is a difference between what Pelosi and Bachmann said and meant. Bachmann was trying to characterize a political candidate and possibly a whole political party as being un-American for not agreeing with her views. Pelosi on the other hand was referring to the actions of extreme right protesters to obstruct meaningful conversation and the threatening manner they used to treat their fellow Americans who had differing views at the Town Hall meetings.

Liberals are also not completely innocent in this conspiracy non-sense though. During the Bush administration many extreme liberals accused the government of all types of conspiracies, including their own involvement in the attacks of 9/11 that allowed them to create the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to help oil companies take over the world's oil supply. While President Bush's intentions, which we now know included using weapons of mass destruction to create the war in Iraq, were not always necessarily out of good at least he was given the opportunity to follow through with his vision of America, good or bad.

During those years America was angry and fearful on both sides, but what always intrigued me the most was that it appeared conservatives, or supporters of Bush's policies, who had gotten what they wanted, were always more angry, fearful and hateful on the outside than the average liberal was. Not that liberals weren't fearful, and they did in fact spread some haneous lies that could have lead to an equal amount of fear and paranoia among Americans over President Bush, but at least liberals were for the most part willing to give Bush the opportunity to screw up, these people won't even give President Obama the RESPECT he deserves to dig his own political grave - if that is to be the case.

This fear is not uncommon though and it usually spawns from periods when our government has attempted to expand its power. Most notably we saw this during the Bush administration when it instituted such bills as the Patriot Act, which gave them the right to spy on Americans and wiretap peoples phones without a warrant. Obama has also been reluctant to do away with some of the Bush era policies, including the allowance of government officials to search laptops and cell phones of Americans returning from overseas.

But aside from all of the opposition what I think we have started to lose most in America is our sense of RESPECT and DECENCY for our fellow man. From Kanye West interrupting teenage country phenom Taylor Swift on stage at the VMA's to Serena Williams losing her cool on a line judge at the U.S. Open to Joe Wilson thinking he has some historical right to disrespect, not only President Obama, but the office of the President of the United States, during a joint session of Congress, are just a few examples of the lack of respect we have for each other and our beliefs in today's America.

It's great that we have differing views on all of these issues to make sure that no one party's agenda displaces other Americans views. Hell I even believe there should be more than two major parties pressuring one another, but that is just not the reality of the political system we live in. However, I have a major problem when protests turn into violent mobs, and I am not necessarily talking about physical assaults, but verbal assaults on other Americans trying to exercise their First Amendment right in a peaceful manner. And I have an even bigger problem with people who feel they can intentionally lie to fool other people into believing they are right.

During the 1960s America faced a social uprising that ended in shaping our society into what it is today. While there was more violence at that time than hopefully we can even begin to imagine today, at least our country was stable economically. Whereas today we face many of the same problems the depression of the 1930s brought on, coupled with the social angst of the 1960s. And if we intend to get out of this era with no one hurt, with a better America, we will need to stop the angry bickering and sit down to work together to ensure all of our visions can melt into one. But I believe this starts with the truth and ends with conservatives realizing that they had their time, they had their moment to live in an America that served their ideology and they failed. Not that they need to roll over for every policy President Obama tries to pass, but it also means you don't boycott every law either. It is also time to give President Obama and the Democrats the RESPECT, yes I am talking to you Joe Wilson, they deserve to make sure America prospers not only during his term(s), but for future generations of Americans. Otherwise our children's children will be looking back at this era in American history with the same disdain as today's generations now look at McCarthyism.