|
The Poor Republicans
|
Nov. 14th, 2008 @ 02:14 pm
|
|---|
|
As promised the GOP is tearing itself apart. But instead of self-destructing to the left and blaming everything on Palin and her ilk it appears that they are intent on the near-complete obliteration to be found by veering right, extremely right. I'd say that even though the conservative witch hunt has begun, quite a bit of damage was done before the election in a more-conservative-than-thou, dick-swinging contest in the primaries that replaced popular centrist GOP candidates with deeply unpopular die-hard right candidates. Nice going!
And to add insult to injury the hue and cry being raised is that they lost the election because they weren't conservative enough. Talk about out of touch.
Ya know, I kinda like the new Republican party as they seem to be setting themselves up in the mold of the Democrats post-Reagan. And Sarah, yah she's the new Mondale.
Good luck with that!
Addendum: http://blog.mlive.com/capitolchronicles/2008/11/mi7_the_republicans_rosetta_st.html
The article isn't as telling as the comments. |
|
We Don't Like Your Kind Around Here...
|
Nov. 13th, 2008 @ 09:04 am
|
|---|
|
If you saw me in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?
Answer me, then if you want, post to your own journal and see how many crimes you get accused of.Current Music: GNR -Civil War |
|
A Third Time for Luck
|
Nov. 4th, 2008 @ 11:45 pm
|
|---|
|
Having just heard the McCain concession speech, I have to say that I've never heard a more gracious and constructive one. It was, words fail me, beautiful. Thank you, John McCain. This is the McCain that we all knew and loved before his total descent into partisanship and negative politics.
That having been said, something had to be said to defuse the near hateful rhetoric of past few months, and John did was enough of a good soldier to understand what had passed and what needed to be done.
Unfortunately I have no such praise for his supporters who booed him all the way through his speech. It may take more than a well spoken apology to repair the damage done by the hate and fear driven politics pushed by his campaign. I can only hope that bridges can be built and betrayed feelings will be repaired in short time.
While a mandate may have been handed down to the Democrats in what appears to be a relative landslide victory, I pray that they have the maturity to tend to the wounds driven deep into the flesh of this country. It may look like a mandate, but in reality most Americans are middle of the road in their political leanings. The US has a long hard slog through some very difficult social/political territory to traverse and the only way we come out the end of it better off than before is if we all pull together. |
|
And This is Me Blowing off a Little Anxiety Today
|
Nov. 4th, 2008 @ 04:25 pm
|
|---|
|
I thought this is really really nice piece of zeitgeist and I'd like to share:
|
|
Voted!
|
Nov. 4th, 2008 @ 08:26 am
|
|---|
|
I showed up at 6:30. Polls open at 7:00. There were 20 people in line ahead of me.
By 7:00 there were several hundred people behind me, and I was happy I didn't listen to my wife who didn't think the lines would be *that* long.
As it was I was out by 7:20. Woot!
Off to work.
( Oh and in case you didn't get the message... )
|
|
The Daily Schadenfreude
|
Nov. 3rd, 2008 @ 03:07 pm
|
|---|
|
So I've been looking to institute a daily update thingy here for a while now, and after a few non-starters, I think I have a winner this time! And it has to do with cruel happiness, that is, the joy brought on by other's misfortune.* Schadenfreude.
Without further ado:
Let me set the scene, it's early Sunday in a RV parked in the middle of the track at a NASCAR event, sort of an impromptu trailer park if you will, and our victim is probably making coffee to drive away the hangover brought about from the previous night's NASCAR fan revelry , when out of nowhere BLAM! A bullet slams into her arm, and...
"She immediately (screamed), 'I've been shot. I've been shot.' She took off running out the door," her son-in-law Bobby Cook told Dallas-Fort Worth television station KTVT.
Ahhh, you feel that? It's like you want to laugh, but it somehow feels wrong inside.
The story.
*Yes, I'm going to hell. |
|
Presidential Race Fishbowl, Tea-leaf Reading
|
Oct. 28th, 2008 @ 09:55 pm
|
|---|
|
With an Obama victory and a Democratic sweep of the house and senate an all-but-foregone conclusion, the smart right-leaning media is drumming for bi-partisanship or at best attempting to gut any Democratic solidarity preemptively. Because they're worried about an angry Democratic majority shoveling lefty programs down their hatch against their will. The truth is they can't hear anything above the din the fatuous part of the party has been making against Obama. Their gnashing and wailing has been terrible indeed.
On the flip side of the coin, the Democrats are foaming at the mouth over the very real possibility of a progressive "mandate." Undeniably, the left is tired and hungry after too many years out in the cold, and now want the blood of their Republican ex-master. Apparently though they too can't hear over their own shouting across the great American political divide.
If left to both sides' devices, I do believe that rhetoric would be sufficiently invective that the ensuing rage-fueled government infighting would destroy the country in the collateral damage.
What both sides' fanatics have missed, is that Obama doesn't have a history of partisanship. Obama, while still being politically aware of his surroundings and the consequences of playing or not the party tool, has shown a tendency to not only reach across the aisle, but even betray to an extent his own constituents' interests when it is politically necessary to compromise. This shouldn't be that foreign of an idea in American politics, but the sad fact is that the politics of the past 20 years have become so increasingly polarized that it is difficult to even conceive of the C word anymore.
So what do I expect and hope?
I see the fanatical right as invective as always. That tiger won't change it's stripes, but they will become less relevant.
The fanatical left will become apoplectic and feel betrayed, but then Obama has never been or claimed to be "The One."
Obama understands that you can't make both sides happy.
The vast middle leaning group of both left and right will see both bad and good in Obama, and more importantly the center will grow. Heck, Obama might even get reelected if the economy bounces back.
Hopefully the GOP realizes the Palin problem is a mandate against the increasingly vapid Religious Right movement and then moves toward a less-rabid, more honest New Libertarian inspired platform.
The Dems should shift off of the right-of-center, and back to a left-of-center position; completing the transition back to a country where there can be civil discourse even if we fail to agree on policies.
Is it realistic? Maybe. Maybe it's just what I wish to see and I'm deluding myself. Honestly, if McCain can pull Florida there's truly still an outside chance of him winning (Believe it or not!)
We'll see.
And hey there's always Clinton v. Palin in 2012! |
|
Read Any Good Books Lately? Maybe you won't, ever!
|
Oct. 24th, 2008 @ 08:59 pm
|
|---|
|
I've recently read Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, and while entertaining, enlightening and a bit scary, I walked away from it thinking to myself, "Nah, it'll never happen." Apparently, there's not only a firm footing in reality, but I would lay odds that DHS has plans for most of the governmental intrusion laid out by Cory, and is just waiting for another attack on our soil to implement them.
All hand wringing aside. This is the shot across the bow. The DHS is testing the waters on this one, and this should be our wake up call, because the next anti-constitutional volley will be aimed at us.
And I know, some of you are thinking that it's the ACLU. An institution that survives on sounding the alarm, often too early and at nothing. I don't think this is nothing. Essentially, the DHS is setting up illegal checkpoints within the US.
Let me repeat that, in case you missed it. The checkpoints are not at the border, where a citizen would expect to be body-cavity searched. They are interior to the US. And there is already video of such a checkpoint here. This happened in February. Why were we not told about this shit?
I am not taking this lying down. I've had enough. I know there is an election going on, but it's time again to contact our Senators and Congress Representatives, and tell them what we really think.
Even more scary are the DHS apologists that have been so scared by the media and government of terrorists that they almost standing in line to hand over their liberties. Unfortunately, they are more than willing to hand over mine and your freedoms too.
On the ACLU page there are links to further reading material, bone up, and contact your representatives. You can find the correct ones here by entering your zip code in the box provided. This kind of crap has gone way over the edge. I've never been more serious about losing my freedoms ever before.
|
|
A Very Important Message from Your Local Cider Deity
|
Oct. 22nd, 2008 @ 09:04 pm
|
|---|
|
I want to start off by saying that anyone that wants to hear about alcoholic cider and beer fermentation should reply to this message and I'll create a separate filter to spare the rest of you non-brewing people.
( I have to say at this point that I'm suitably impressed. )
Current Music: Strange Brew |
|
Michael Palin is an Ex-parrot
|
Oct. 14th, 2008 @ 02:03 pm
|
|---|
|
Seriously, he nailed this one. |
|
Tie-Fight
|
Oct. 2nd, 2008 @ 11:10 pm
|
|---|
|
All I've taken from the debate tonight is a sense of tension.
I feel that debate was a tie. Palin was more charismatic but often way off topic. And Biden was more insightful and informative, but could have put me to sleep.
Often Sarah rambled on about everything but the question, wildly swinging and slinging mud everywhere while weaving the word maverick into seemingly every sentence. But lowered-expectations was phrase of the of the day applied to Gov. Palin, and as others have said she won (really tied) by not losing.
Biden really could have smiled more. The only time he expressed real emotion was when he started getting choked up about the tragedy that happened to his family. For a moment there he drew me in, but it wasn't to be. Men of his era don't cry, period. And so he continued in his droning tone till the end. If it were about substance he won hands down as it was nobody was listening, because Palin's sing-song is much more inviting.
BTW , did anyone else notice that she completely doesn't know what the the two-state solution concerning Israel and Palestine was? Her answer there was completely surreal. I want to see the transcript on that one. |
|
E.E. Cummings Eat Your Heart Out!
|
Sep. 29th, 2008 @ 12:42 pm
|
|---|
|
Picked this out of a reply on an article about the upcoming VP debate:
( Posted by: Deeva | Sep 29, 2008 9:07:16 AM: )
It's kinda of scary. In that context it makes more sense.
|
|
I Want to Use One of My Lifelines! (the weekly fail)
|
Sep. 28th, 2008 @ 03:06 pm
|
|---|
|
So I watched the SNL version of the recent Katie Couric, Gov. Palin interview, and I was thinking to myself that SNL usually hits the nail on the head. The interview couldn't have really that bad. Could it? The answer my friends:
Holy morons batman! Apparently you can't make this kind of shit up.
|
|
Extwerp Fram teh Closet Book, Meme
|
Sep. 26th, 2008 @ 11:20 am
|
|---|
|
Instructions:
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
"At the last possible instant the speeding bull stopped short. Why? Because Delgado's radio activated electrodes (metal wires) implanted deep within the bull's brain. These, in turn, stimulated the "control centers" that brought the bull to a halt.
Biopsychology is the study of biological processes, especially activity in the brain and nervous system, relate to behavior. It is clear that answers to many age-old questionsof mind, consciousness, and knowledge lie buried within the brain (carlson 1991). Let us enter this fascinating realm for a closer look at our biological heritage and human potential."
--From, Introduction to Psychology, Seventh Edition, by Dennis Coon .
I'm sitting next to a bookshelf. It's difficult to determine the CLOSEST book. They're all close, damnit! |
|
An Apology in Advance for the Rant After the Fact
|
Sep. 25th, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
|
|---|
|
How do I put this lightly? I don't know if there is a way. So out with it.
Succinctly, I hate Twitter. It's bothersome and annoying. And as much as I despise it, I normally would have the ability to ignore it.
Unfortunately, some LJ bloggers have had the brilliant idea of Twittering into their LJ account. Here's a clue, if I want to read your Twitterblog, I'll subscribe to it. I want to read your blog not your waking minutes log of pointless fluff.
Twitter User:"I just ate an apple!"
Twitter User:"The restrooms at work are dirty."
Twitter User: "I'm sitting next to Captain Hammer on the bus."
Twitter User: "TeeHee!"
Gahhh! Stop it!
Actually, I want to hear from people that have signed up for Twitter accounts on what kind of pleasure they they actually derive from Twittering. Defend yourselves! |
| » I don't live in Ohio |
|---|
But thank you Marcy Kaptur for speaking on the American citizen's behalf.
Sep. 24th, 2008 @ 04:42 pm
|
| » The Daily Fail! |
|---|
FAAAAAIIIIL! Man was not meant to go this fast without a steel cage.
Not only that but afterwards he's stripped to the waist, can barely stand up and then ... dance, monkey, dance for the sadistic Japanese cameras.
Public fail.
No honest cyclist can watch this without cringing.
Sep. 17th, 2008 @ 09:35 pm
|
| » Is it me... |
|---|
...or are the memes getting more interesting.
Geordi is actually a decent pick,
although I notice that Red Shirt isn't too far behind.
Your results:
You are Geordi LaForge | Geordi LaForge |
| 100% | | An Expendable Character (Redshirt) |
| 75% | | Mr. Scott |
| 70% | | Chekov |
| 60% | | Jean-Luc Picard |
| 55% | | James T. Kirk (Captain) |
| 45% | | Data |
| 39% | | Uhura |
| 35% | | Will Riker |
| 35% | | Deanna Troi |
| 35% | | Leonard McCoy (Bones) |
| 30% | | Beverly Crusher |
| 30% | | Spock |
| 24% | | Mr. Sulu |
| 20% | | Worf |
| 15% |
| You work well with others and often
fix problems quickly. Your romantic
relationships are often bungled.
 |
Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test
Sep. 10th, 2008 @ 11:46 am
|
| » Drilla' the Apparently Invisible Gorilla in the Room |
|---|
Drill baby, drill!
Or not.
Or it doesn't really matter, except as conservative trap, and the Democrats will walk all over this, because they don't see it.
What will happen is the House and Senate will reconvene, the Democrats (being in control) will refuse to give in to appeal to their base; except with severe penalties and restrictions for the oil companies, thinking that they are stalling the process and will come heroes. They won't because the Republicans will then claim that the Democrats obviously don't care about our gas pain, and don't deserve to be re-elected. And everyone will have forgotten about the McCain's 'All of the Above' energy "strategy." (They weren't ever serious about renewables anyway.)
Now if Dems collapse (divide and conquer) the Republicans can claim that the progressives weren't really serious about renewable energy, and proceed to also make the Dems look even more like asses.
Why? Why? Why, do the Democrats constantly let the conservatives frame all the debates?
Sep. 9th, 2008 @ 04:16 pm
|
| » Sarah! Sarah Palin! Shootin' teh wild barrel fish. |
|---|
To show that I have no hard feelings. I present you all with a little ditty I found on them thar Internet:
This is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Wait! Has anyone actually done that! Maybe Sarah can do it!!
Sep. 4th, 2008 @ 11:46 am
|
|
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
zifferent's journal