The Beekeeper's Apprentice
The World At Large
|
Email Me Change.Gov
STAY INFORMED
PROGRESSIVE PRESS
BLOGS AND MORE
FOR A BREAK
FREETHOUGHT COMMUNITY
FOR THE WORLD
ACTIVISM
| |
|
Tonight Deserves Two Posts
11/19/2008 Al Qaeda makes me LOL. Seriously, what's more funny than when a fundamentalist crackpot with eyeglasses straight out of 1982 who yammers on about house negroes and then wonders why Obama shed his muslim roots? Must be the glasses that turned Obama off to fanatical Islam when he was only a child, as it couldn't possibly be the sheer nastiness and pathetic male insecurities of men like al Zawahiri. BBC News thinks that this new "scare" tape might backfire, though - Obama seems to be pretty well liked all over this great big earthy world. Frankly, the Erkel glasses don't do it for me. Al Qaeda Schmal Schmaeda. We've got our own looney-tunes to deal with. Wonder if Zawahiri has ever met Fred Phelps?
Clinton Can't Make Up Her Mind 11/19/2008 For crikey's sake, woman, make up your mind! Do you want to be Secretary of State or not?? According to the NYT, "The adviser described Mrs. Clinton as flattered by President-elect Barack Obama’s interest but said she was agonizing over the decision. Mrs. Clinton likes being her own boss and is reluctant to give up the independence that comes with that, said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process was at a delicate stage." Oh, for pete's sake, woman, this is not the Senior Prom and you're holding out for a better date! Also, you don't work for yourself. You work for the people of New York State, who put you in that Senate Seat to begin with. You are NOT self-employed. You are NOT independent. You ARE a Civil Servant. That Senate seat is rented to you by THE PEOPLE for 4 years. When those 4 years are up, that lease can be revoked, as the republicans learned on November 4. Don't forget that little fact.
Concealed Weapons on College Campuses 11/17/2008 A year and a half ago, 32 students and professors lost their lives to a deranged gunman at Virginia Tech. That was a truly, terribly, bone-numbingly sad day for all of us here in Blue Virginia. The fallout is almost over, the records of the police and campus security responses have mostly been released to the public, the settlements with the state have been made by most of the victims' families and hopefully we can put it behind us. Except, now groups of students across the country wish to be allowed to have concealed-weapons permits so they can lock and load and be the hero when crazy shit goes down, when somebody mad-as-a-hatter is walking around blowing people away like some personal remake of a Terminator movie. They want to be able to protect themselves and others. There are a couple of problems that I see with this scenario. One, Federal crime statistics still show that one of the safest places to be is on a college campus (alcohol, rapes and drugs must not count). The second problem is this: I have had the concealed-weapons permit, had my fingerprints filed with the local police, state police and the FBI. I spent a total of about 5 hours in a weapons training class. I could shoot, and was really pretty good. Good enough that I managed, on my 2nd time ever firing my .38 special, to group a nice set of chest shots, and a decent head shot. However, most of the other people in my training class couldn't have hit a '38 Buick if it was parked on their foot. Besides not being able to shoot, I have another problem with letting college kids carry weapons on campus. Noone who has not been in the military or other security forces and who has not been through the intense training they are subject to, knows really how they will react when faced with another Glock pointed at their fellow students' heads, or how they will react when faced with that 9mm pointed at their own. From personal experience, I do not believe that most people will fight. Most will flee, or they will freeze. Call it the 3 f's - flee, fight, freeze. Most people. Not all. Some will fight, some will put themselves in the way of someone else and take the bullet, but most will simply freeze, at least momentarily. And when some wackjob is walking around blowing holes in anything that moves, that momentarily would probably mean the end of the wannabe hero. I truly do not believe that most people who carry guns are capable of actually using it if they need to. Adrenaline rushes are not part of a controlled weapons training course for the purposes of securing a concealed-weapons permit. All you have to do is show you can use the weapon. I never even had to go through refresher courses, but I did let my license lapse when I realized that having a gun in the house was probably more dangerous than not having one. Statistics was definitely on my side. Another problem I have with college kids carrying concealed weapons on campus - alcohol. Ask any hunter whose buddy has mistaken him for a dear in road-crew orange, and he can tell you that liquor and guns just don't mix well. Ask anyone who was in a shootout after leaving the nightclub just as a couple of drunk assholes decide to play Gunfight at the OK Corrall, and they can tell you - liquor and guns just don't mix. Now, I don't know about you, but I did quite a bit of drinking in college. I saw a few testosterone-fueled fights. I saw a couple of estrogen-fueled fights. Guns don't mix well with liquor or testosterone or estrogen. Probably about the best scenario I can see coming out of this is some kid does manage to be the hero. Or he manages to be a partial hero, with a little "friendly fire" thrown in for bad measure. The worst scenario is that someone shoots his buddy after having too much beer, and has to live with it. Or his girlfriend after having a fight. Or someone shoots her boyfriend after catching him with another girl. Guns just do not have any place on the campus of a school of higher learning. In fact, they're pretty much useless in just about every other place, also.
The First Weekly Address from the President Elect 11/15/08 PE Obama has released the first of what Change.gov, the Transition website, says will be weekly radio and YouTube addresses to the nation, invoking the essence of FDR's famous Fireside Chats during the depths of the Great Depression. The Bee thinks that weekly "chats" are a wonderful idea to resurrect. In fact, conversations in this house several months ago when it became clear that PE Obama would certainly be a contender for the Democratic nomination, consisted quite a bit of "I want to see more transparency from the White House, and weekly "fireside chats" a-la FDR would be a great idea. Well, Mr. Obama must have been listening, because it looks like we're going to get them. I would like a bit more substance, as this weeks address was mainly composed of campaign platform, but know what? I'm a patient person (ok, not really, but I can be when it counts), and I'm willing to give the PE some time to settle in. How much can I legitimately expect, when the man is still a couple of months from inauguration? I can rest assured, though, that the bully-network of Limbaugh, Beck and the rest of the Chatting Kathy Dolls will be screaming "See! No Substance!" To which I reply: Remember the movie Highlander? There can only be one at a time. Unfortunately, the President is Bush until January 20, 2009. I wouldn't mind, though, if Bush stepped down tomorrow and Obama took over on Monday.
For Crikey's Sake 11/12/2008 Ok, I will admit, I've had a good time ragging on Sarah Palin. She just makes it all so easy - she even made, vicariously, SNL funny again for awhile. But for the past couple of days, she's been all over the news. She was yammering on yesterday's Today Show about running for President in 2012 if "God wills it." (loud and gutteral groan). That's bad enough. Today, Palin tells CNN that "she would be honored to help President-elect Barack Obama in his new administration, even if he did hang around with an 'unrepentant domestic terrorist.'" Uh, Mrs. Palin, I don't think PE Obama has asked you to, dear. And I doubt he ever would. PE Obama seems to favor people who actually...think. Novel concept, I know, that thinking thing. Oh, and by the way - I am blogging in my pajamas right now - but not in my parents basement. Rather, in the living room of my own home while watching you on the 40" Samsung which was paid for by...myself. I just threw a shoe through it, though, so I might have to go out and buy myself another tv. Did I mention that I am a mother? And I work full time outside the home? And that I make more money than my husband, and he's perfectly happy about that? Oh, and that when I had my baby, I actually went to a hospital, rather than put myself and my baby in danger of DEATH by running around all over the freaking continent while in labor? Did I mention that I don't think it's so damned cool for a woman to have an infant, much less a special needs infant, up at 11:00 at night to trot him across the stage, his poor head flopping away on the spindle that is an infant's neck? Did I mention that I don't think it's cool to trot your pregnant teen daughter across the national stage, wage a shotgun wedding to her redneck boyfriend while all the time crowing about her "choice" when you would gleefully deny that choice to anyone else's daughter? Did I mention that you, Mrs. Palin, need some diction and speech classes if you are going to even ever consider running this country in any fashion? And do you know what? If it had not been for the massive mistake of choosing you, John McCain probably would have really given PE Obama a run for his money, so all the blame games of saying "it's the media's fault, it's the bloggers' fault, it's the RNC's fault for not letting me have more air time to embarrass them further, and in short, it's everyone's fault but my own" just don't fly. Come'on, Saturday Night Live didn't even need to change their script to have a howlingly funny show about you - they used your answers to Katie Couric nearly VERBATIM. That means they didn't have to change much of your dialogue - I wouldn't want anyone accused of being elitist for using big words, you betcha. Further down the CNN article, we see this rather disturbing statement: "Among Republicans, though, Palin's rating remains high, with 86 percent of Republicans questioned in the poll holding a favorable opinion of her. " Evidently they're only calling the yahoos in "real america" - Liberty University. Must be. I cannot allow myself to believe that 86% of republicans are so plug stupid.
Lobbyists, You Are Hereby Put On Notice 11/11/2008 The Obama transition crew has put the lobbyists on notice. According to MSNBC.com, "President-elect Obama, who said lobbyists would not run his White House, signaled Tuesday that lobbyists could serve in his transition so long as their activities do not involve areas of policy they have tried to influence in the past year." Let's see: Yesterday, we learned of plans to close Gitmo, which is good. The day before, we learned of plans to undo hundreds of Bush Administration policies and executive orders, and that is a good thing. Today, we learn that PE Obama has put the lobbyists on notice, and by placing a 1 to 2 year relatedness moratorium on them, he has effectively kicked them out of the Transition Team. They cannot serve in any capacity or provide finances that has anything to do with anything they lobbied for in the past year. You were a paid lobbyist for Exxon last year? Oh, so sorry, you cannot be on the energy policy team and don't even think about greasing someone's palm. Maybe we can find a place for you - oh, well, maybe you could walk the new puppy at 3 a.m. So you lobbied for Pfizer last year? Well, we can't put you on the healthcare reform team and you better not be found greasing any palms, but maybe we can find something for you - Hey! You could polish the new basketball court! What I want to see next: Congress do the something similar. Now, I know there are plenty of non-profits who do good work, so here's what the Bee proposes. Lobbyists may make appointments with various legislators, and meet with them in order to make a case to persuade the legislator of whatever it is the lobbyist wants to convince them of. However, there will be no parties, no gifts, no trips, no lavish luncheons (and it pains me to say luncheon, it just sounds so hoity-toity), no college educations on the sly for children of senators and house congressmen and no money. Did I mention money? No money. Not one red dime donated to a congresspersons' campaign. Nada. Zip. And let's back it up with jail time, shall we? Say, if money changes hands in order to influence a congressional member in any way, shape or form, it's jail time for both. If a lobbyist cannot persuade a congressional member with the gift of gab, then perhaps said lobbyist needs to find another line of work. Or rethink the customer who hired them in the first place. Oh the times, they are a-changin'.
Obama Poised to Reverse Bush Decisions 11/9/2008 President-Elect Obama, you are my hero. The Washington Post yesterday reported that PE Obama is poised to reverse over 200 Bush Administration actions and executive orders on everything ranging from assaults on the environment to fiscal deregulations. Talk about keeping the cat in the bag - Obama has had 4 dozen aides working for months putting together a list of Bush Fiascos to reverse, on such issues as Stem Cell Research, reproductive research, climate change, you name it, he's going to reverse it if it even has the slight odor of politicization about it. He wants to eliminate the "global gag rule" imposed by Bush that says that clinics in third world countries which receive US Federal funding cannot even hint to a woman that she has the option of abortion, even in countries where it is perfectly legal. I could cry. I could simply cry. Accordingo to the WaPo, "The team is now consulting with liberal advocacy groups, Capitol Hill staffers and potential agency chiefs to prioritize those they regard as the most onerous or ideologically offensive...." What's not to like about this guy? He started his dismantling of the long dark night of the Bush Administration long before he was even elected. With Bush making many more "executive decisions" and "policies" in the next few weeks during the lame-duck congress, PE Obama's list will probably grow exponentially. He will do it in a bi-partisan manner, though, says the WaPo: " A spokeswoman said yesterday that no plans for regulatory changes had been finalized. "Before he makes any decisions on potential executive or legislative actions, he will be conferring with congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, as well as interested groups," Obama transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said. "Any decisions would need to be discussed with his Cabinet nominees, none of whom have been selected yet." I could just cry. I just might. Slap a pair of tits on me, I'd be a woman. The eight year nightmare is over. I just might have to bawl like a baby. Well, I am a woman, so I guess I can get away with it. For a couple of minutes. In the bathroom. With the door locked. Honestly, if this is all that PE Obama ever does while in office, he's already worth his weight in gold. I"m sure he will do much, much more, and most of it will be good, if not great.
Secession 11/7/2008 In 1861, the Southern states began to secede from the Union after Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States of America. Despite all of the pro-southern sympathetic "histories" since the war ended, the war was fought over slavery. South Carolina feared that Lincoln would free the slaves, so they seceded. Other states immediately followed suit, the first shots were fired, and by its end in 1865, over 600,000 soldiers were dead as well as untold civilians. After war's end, the freed slaves were left to their own devices by a government which no longer had a President Lincoln at it's head. They were left to their own devices with the long arm of the former slave-master hanging over their entire lives and livelihood. Well into the 20th century, the grandchildren of former slaves were not allowed by white society to sit in the front of bus, to drink from the same water fountain, to live in peace, to prosper, to educate themselves or their children. Jim Crow was the nightmare they lived in. I have a particularly masochistic streak sometimes, so I was listening to local right-wing radio, of which we unfortunately have an abundant supply in Virginia. A woman called in and asked "What about the African-American's lives have changed this week, what is so different from how their lives were this time last week??" A black man can finally look his child in the eye and say "You can grow up to be President someday, if you work hard, if you care hard, if you love hard and if you believe hard in yourself." This was not true Monday November 3. On November 4, 2008, we saw the beginning of the change. Barak Obama not only broke through the glass ceiling, he shattered it into a billion pieces and scattered all the old enmity and hurt and heartache to the wind. I believe he just might do great things as President, but even if he doesn't, then winning is his legacy. Winning against a republican machine that sincerely thought that no matter what nastiness they dreamed up, they would win. After all, George Bush won when the Swiftboat "Veterans" impugned John Kerry's Vietnam war record, even though Bush had a record of draft-dodging and going AWOL from the Air National Guard. They figured it would be easy to beat the black guy. They will say that it is racism for African Americans to vote 95+% for Barak Obama, they say "they only voted for him because he is a black man." Barak Obama accused John McCain several times, in regards to the economy, of 'not getting it.' Mr. Obama was correct on so many levels. The republicans have the long knives out for each other this week, laying blame for their loss, when they just don't get it. They just don't get that, after 8 years of one of the most horrendously bad, just awful, terrible, worms and rotting-flesh presidents this country has ever had the displeasure of knowing, they had no business winning. But they don't seem to understand that their entire so-called "conservative" ideology has been repudiated, rebuked, thrown into the trash-bin by the American People, black, white, hispanic, asian, young, old and everything in between who rallied behind a man they didn't know well, but who seemed to be a genuine human being, a good and decent man, a good father, a good husband and all of those qualities that have become increasingly rare in the American political scene. A lot of people said "I like him, I will vote for him, but I don't believe he can win, because he is black." It was easy to have that cynicism, because of this country's history. Since Tuesday, though, it isn't so easy to carry that cynicism. Now, all of a sudden, anything is possible. I can legitimately tell my daughter "someday you can be President." This was not possible on November 3. All of a sudden, it's a little easier to dream of a better future for those of us who work so hard just to provide the basics for our families. Enough of these people did vote for him, even though they thought he couldn't possibly be President of a country that only 30-odd years ago repealed the last of the Jim Crow laws. In Virginia, it was only 41 years ago that with the ruling Loving v Virginia that the law which made interracial marriage a criminal offense was finally repealed. Enough people voted for him because they believed in him, and in his message, even though they knew he was running against high odds, against an entrenched party which would not let it's power go so easily. A friend in Britain said that an acquaintance mentioned to her that "...having a black pres can only be a good thing because now there can be no claims of discrimination." Claims of so-called "reverse discrimination" are unfounded and false, and let me tell you why: Tell them Barak Obama did not get elected just because he is black. Being African American was just an added, and utterly wonderful and amazing, benefit. He got elected because he was the far better choice for the job. He got elected because the Americans of all colors and backgrounds have finally decided they have had enough with the endless wars, enough with the stripping bare of the Constitution, enough with the contrived divisions, enough with the hate and fear and greed placed before us as an icon on an altar to worship. We will not worship those icons. Tell them that the people who voted for him did it to give the republicans a notice: If you pander to the extreme far right wing and their vicious brand of insanity and tyranny, we will all reject you. If you pander only to the wealthy, we will reject you. If you truly believe that poor people are poor because they are lazy, or undeserving, we will reject you. If you believe that war is the best option for dealing with countries we don't agree with, we will reject you. The right wingers here will still cry their false "foul" and will still call it discrimination because African Americans voters, to the tune of at least 95%, voted for Barak Obama. African-Americans know, possibly better than anyone else, that the republican party only represents the filthy rich. If you do not have the hard cold mountain of cash to fund their campaigns, then they do not care if you live or die. If either Kerry or Gore had had the energy, savvy, tenacity, organization, enthusiasm, intelligence and simply unflappable calmness of Barak Obama, they themselves could have rallied the country around them, but they didn't have those qualities. Virginia seceded from the confederacy for this man - black and white, we seceded. North Carolina seceded from the confederacy for this man. 160 years after the fighting was over, we finally ended the Civil War for this man. Tell them that. And tell them that we're saying to all those who voted for McCain: If you want a seat on the train putting this country back on the right track, you're welcome to join us. We'll be happy to have you. Otherwise sit down, shut up, and get out of the way of true change for the better. Know this, though: To all the republicans who figured out that your party is a sham and a fraud, and jumped ship to join us, we thank you for your help, and we welcome you with open hearts. We are on the right side of history. We will have our day in the sun again. We are living the Rev. King's dream. Abraham Lincoln said "A house divided against itself cannot stand." We have spent the past eight years divided against ourselves, but that day is over. We will be unified in our efforts to rid this country of all of the old shackles of racism and fear. Yes we can.
...And The World Breathes A Sigh Of Relief 11/5/2008 Virginia seceded from the Confederacy last night. It was an awesome sight to behold. A special shout out to my buddy Nancy: Nancy, darlin', if you're watching, here's the Victory Speech you missed last night. Enjoy!
Sleep peacefully, world at large, because tomorrow the work begins. To all the republicans to whom President-Elect Obama reached out to last night: If you want on board this progress train, we'll be happy to have you. If you just want to sulk and grouse and impede progress, then just shut up, sit down and stay out of the way. Congratulations, Mr. Obama - we look forward to having you and yours in the White House in January.
OBAMA WINS! ALL HAIL THE CHIEF! 11/4/2008, 11:45 p.m. And Virginia went Blue for the first time in 44 years. Life is good. Now the real work begins.
From the Battleground of Virginia 11/4/2008 Virginia hasn't been a battleground, really, since the Civil War. Tonight, I believe we'll be a contender. I was at the polls at 5:30 this morning, and already the line was snaked around the elementary school and down the parking lot. I waited, in the rain, for about 2 hours, but had a nice time chatting with two ladies behind me. I voted. Guess who for? Come'on, take a guess.... During a break at work, I was talking to a republican buddy from another company. He was bitching and moaning that he drove by his precinct, and left when he saw the line was too long. "I had to get to work by eight!" he said. Ok, fair enough. So I said "Go when you get off work at 5." He looks at me like I'm nuts, and says "But I have company coming to dinner at 7:00!!" Really made me want to say "fine, if you're too lazy to get up earlier, or you're just going to make a bunch of excuses, like it's raining, or the line's too long, then please keep on going on, because for every one of you whiney-assed republicans who think that the world should make your lives easy and stress-free who don't go vote, it makes it that much easier for the sane people to take the reins back." Of course I didn't say it. The guy is still a friend, and I figure once Obama wins, and he realizes that it's not the apocalypse after all, he'll detract the stick from his rump. You know, what struck me as funny: the only people today throughout my own workplace and a couple of other companies in the building who were belly-aching over the rain and the long lines were the republicans. We dems seemed to be having a high-old time exercising our civic duties. On that note: watch out for news tomorrow of precinct problems in Henrico County, Virginia - I heard several stories from several different precincts where the machines were breaking down by 7:00 a.m. This is the Bee, signing off to scarf some Taco Bell before the East Coast polls close and the results start rolling in. Cross your fingers, cross your toes, spit on your old granny's dead frog and settle in for a wild and bumpy ride.
How Cool Is This Campaign? 11/3/2008 At 6:00 tomorrow morning, the polls open. The Bee will drag her tired self out of bed at 5:30 (ok, I'm up that early anyway) and trot around the corner to hit the booth. History will either be made, or the future will be lost, tomorrow. Living in Virginia, I have never been contacted by a campaign before. Not a peep from Clinton. Not a word from Gore. Kerry? Fuggedaboudit. In the past 3 days, I have received approximately 8 phone calls. Michelle Obama called me - alright, it was a robocall, but still, ya'know, how cool is that? She called to remind me to vote Tuesday. Danny Glover called, too, to tell me to not believe the flyers floating around Virginia telling all us "gullible" democrats to vote Wednesday. Ok, that was a robo-call too, but how cool is that? I also received 6 calls from live people, reminding me to vote. And would I be voting for Barak Obama? Yep, sure will be. You don't have to worry about the Bradley Effect here. We're an evolved family. Tonight, someone left a door-hanger on the front door. "Remember to vote on November 4th." It was an Obama hanger. This guy has got it going on, no doubt about that. A staunchly republican co-worker today even had to admit that "that one" has run a hell of a campaign. Oh, My, and I just saw a clip on MSNBC of Karl Rove praising the campaign work that Obama has managed. Will the world end tonight?? It's nice to be noticed again, down here in now-pink Virginia. On a sadder note, our condolences to Barak Obama and his family on the loss of his grandmother. We wished as well that she could have lasted for another day or so, to possibly see her grandson as president-elect. This is the Bee, signing off, hopefully to return Wednesday singing a happy song and doing a snoopy-dance.
And the Turkey of the Week Award Goes To: 11/1/2008 Shirley Nagel of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, who hung a sign that said "No handouts for Obama supporters, liars, tricksters or kids of supporters." Crikey, woman, get a life. They are children. This is really the way to sow the seeds of unity in your neighborhood. Don't be suprised when your front yard is TP'ed tonight. We'll all just say "Oh, well, everybody has a choice" - to be an asshole, or to be decent to children trick-or-treating on halloween. And you, Shirley, since you excercised the latter of those choices, shall face your lumps just like the little whipper-snappers whose moms and dads support "that one." Thy house shall be toilet-papered from the rafters to the foundation. And maybe there will be an egg or two involved, too.
30 Rounds From an Assault Rifle 11/1/2008 Last night a little boy trick-or-treating in Sumter, South Carolina, was shot to death, and his father and brother wounded when a CONVICTED FELON SHOT THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR WITH AN ASSAULT RIFLE. Should I repeat that? A convicted felon with an assault rifle, a slackjaw who thought he was being robbed by...Batman? Spiderman? Diego? The guy left his porch-light on. On Halloween. Then we're supposed to believe he thought that the trick-or-treater he pumps THIRTY rounds into might be a robber? That dog don't hunt. This guy needs the death penalty, because he's either too damned stupid to keep living in a civil society, or he's too damned mean. And what I really do NOT want to hear is the NRA prattling on about their so-called second amendment rights to carry assault rifles. So, a mother has lost her 12 year old to an assault rifle in the hands of - let me say it again - A CONVICTED FELON. Another mother lost her 8 year old son to the stupidity of the moron at the Gun Show in Massachusetts gave him an UZI - A LOADED UZI sub-machine gun - an ASSAULT RIFLE to play with. What I do NOT want to hear is the NRA prattling on about their imagined second amendment rights to let 8 year olds play with locked and loaded Uzis. In the Fredericksburg, Virginia, area just a couple of days after September 11, a man bought a handgun to "protect his fambly." His 3 year old found it, loaded, in a dresser drawer and shot himself to death with it. How much more of this do we all need to see on the evening news before we all decide that, as a civilized society, guns have no place? The NRA crows "but only the criminals will have guns." Then take the guns away from the ciminals too. Yes, it is just that simple. The guns can be confiscated, or bought. When Richmond Virginia implemented Project Exile, the crime rate dropped 40%. Other countries have banned gun possession, and seen their violent crime rates drop accordingly. Why not us? Because the "gun rights" groups are so completely bass-ackward that they actually believe the garbage they spout daily about second amendment "rats." On the campus of Virginia Tech, in my homestate of Virginia, the carnage was unconscionable after, on April 16, 2007, a severly crazy student shot and killed 32 students and teachers and wounded many others. His handgun purchase was legal - because he had never been convicted of a crime or judge mentally incompetent by a court of law. Idiots in Virginia were calling local news stations opining that "oh, if only a student had been given the right to carry a concealed weapon on campus, someone could have taken this guy out." Wrong, and let me tell you why. I used to carry myself in my younger and dumber days, until I saw the light and decided that a home with a gun and a child was a nuclear combination. I had a license to carry. I took the requisite gun safety course. The class lasted about half a day, and there were probably 8 of us in attendance. I saw what poor shots the other people were. The instructor was suprised when, my first time firing a .38, out of a chamber holding 5 rounds I put 4 fatal shots into a paper target. 1 head, 3 chest. The other people would have had trouble hitting the side of a barn 10 feet from them. Now, this was under controlled circumstances, without the adrenaline rush of being "in a tight situation." Odds are good that if another student had been carrying, rather than taking down the shooter, they would have instead 'friendly fired' their fellow students. Or frozen and forgot they had the gun. I do not believe that most people are capable of quick thought and quicker action during a time of extreme duress. We humans have a nasty herd instinct, and it's not often that I personally have seen the fight or flight instinct really engage in a human. I used to work for a law firm that was situated in a wood-framed glorified house. My department was on the second floor. We had a mild earthquake - nothing major, but with earthquakes, I don't believe in taking chances. It took me about 2 seconds to figure out why my computer monitor was dancing around - and I jumped up and yelled for the rest of the department to get downstairs. They sat and looked at me like deer in headlights, and didn't have a clue what to do. I yelled again, and that got them moving. I was picked on by the attorneys for that one, for "overreacting" - earthquakes in Virginia? Yeah, stupid, earthquakes in Virginia. Just the little tremblors, but know what? Buildings in Virginia aren't typically built to withstand any earth movement, particularly not wood-frame buildings with 20 tons of file cabinets and photocopiers on the second story. Do the math. My point is, again, under duress and extreme stress situations, police and military sometimes "miss" and shoot their own partners. Sometimes they freeze. They are trained long and hard for their jobs. Am I supposed to believe that some yahoo who took a half-day gun safety training class and couldn't hit the barn is going to save my life in a bad situation? I think more likely they will miss and shoot me or mine instead. The NRA is completely wrong about those of us who feel that guns need to be at worst severly restricted and at best outright banned. It's not the guns that scare us, it's the idiots who carry them, the idiots who sell them and the morons who crow about their 'rats' while at the same time denying others the right to live their lives in peace and without fear that some chowderhead in the mall will drop his pistol out of his ankle holster and accidentally shoot our children with it. This happened in the mid-90's at Virginia Center Commons Mall just north of Richmond. By pure luck noone was killed, only a busted glass case in the jewelry section of Penney's. But only by pure luck was noone killed. Unfortunately the 8 year old in Massachusetts, and the 12 year old in South Carolina this week, were not so lucky. The 32 at Virginia Tech were not so lucky. Enough is enough.
John Cleese on Countdown With Keith Olbermann 10/31/2008 Happy Halloween, all you fellow heathens who are, at this late hour, probably pilfering your own kid's candy score. John Cleese and I have much in common. Neither of us want a leader with whom we can "sit down and have a beer." We both want a leader who is smarter, more educated, better traveled and better read than ourselves. Cleese makes a deliciously wonderful point about guilt by association, and how it can be turned around quite easily on the accuser. Kind of like McCain - gee, seems McCain helped fund Rashid Khalidi's organization in the 90's, but now all of a sudden Khalidi, a respected university professor, is a "terrorist" whom Obama pals around with. Crikey. The video is a bit long, but well worth it. Cleese is his usually dry, hilarious self. Enjoy:
This is the Bee, signing off to go chow on the toddler's halloween candy. I saw that look - well, I can't very well give a toddler pop-rocks and jawbreakers, now, can I? Can't have it going to waste, can I? We are in a rec-depression, dontchaknow.
30 Minute Ads, and the Bee's Favorite American of the Week 10/29/2008 The Bee does not, as a rule, cry. It's a man's world still, and crying does nothing but buy a woman derision from other women who do not cry and that askance look from men that says "you're an idiot." Like Robert DeNiro said in Analyze This: Look at me, crying...slap a pair of tits on me, I'd be a woman. Watching Barak Obama's 30 minute ad tonight, though, I actually cried. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Why was I crying? I'm still trying to sort through that myself. Maybe it's because for the last eight years, we have had a gibbering idiot playacting at leading this country. Maybe it's because for the past eight years, we have had Darth Cheney opining malignantly about walking on the "dark side." And walk on the dark side we have, every one of us, thanks to these guys. We have seen the wackos on the religious right put the country in a stranglehold of bigoted and reprehensibly backwards beliefs that to any thinking person are about as appealing as snake-handling. We have seen the constitution thrown into the toilet in favor of "free speech zones" so our poor little president would not have his feelings hurt by protesters. We have seen the rule of law thrown into the toilet along with a few copies of the Koran with every single attempt to rationalize rendition and the use of torture. We have seen the economy go down the toilet in just the last month - even though this has been coming for years, and those who warned of this meltdown of nuclear proportions were drummed out of the public eye as nutters. To recap, the country is in a veritable toilet. However, However... Maybe it was because for the first time in my lifetime, I saw an honest to goodness good man speaking out to the american people. I saw true hope, true regard and true understanding of the problems that face this country. He may not know everything, but he surrounds himself with the people who are experts in their field. For example, Warren Buffett for economic knowledge, to which I say: Please, Please when you are elected, name Buffett as the Sec Treas - Buffett will make the government so rich, none of us will need to pay taxes anymore. Obama speaks like the proverbial warrior poet - he speaks for me and he does a damn fine job of it. I believe that he understands the importance of the rule of law and of restoring america's moral position in the world. He is a reasonable man and in my book, that makes him worth his weight in gold. It has been so many years since America has seen a man like this run for the highest office in the land. It feels like it is alright to hope again, to be a dreamer again and to let ourselves envision a country where once again the hand is held out to help the downtrodden rise up from their circumstances, where once again the worker matters, where once again education is not something to be criticized as "elitist" and where no child really will be left behind. For the past few weeks, we have seen McCain and Palin say nothing constructive, give no plans for the future of this country and why is that? Because they don't have one. All they have is trash-talk about Obama. What is with the McCain campaign's increasingly nasty robo-calls? Speaking of robo-calls, it seems that in Indiana, robo-calls are illegal, as they should be everywhere - I cannot think of anything more annoying than picking up the phone, saying hello, and a computer voice starts yammering in my ear. Well, in Indiana, McCain had to hire a telemarketing firm to blabber his negative attack-ads into the phone. Only, the telemarketers at the call center of AmeriCall, refused. Yes, they refused. They were told by their supervisors that if they didn't make the calls and read the script, they could go home without pay. At least 40 telemarketers did just that. They stood tall and refused to read a script that they found reprehensible. They lost a day's pay, but they stood by their convictions. And the 40 telemarketers in the call center of AmeriCall in Hobart, Indiana, qualify as the Bee's favorite Americans of the week. postscript: The whiners of the week award goes to Fox News, which spent it's headlines today whining about Obama's "infomercial," yet had no problem accepting his money to run it on their own network. Whine, whine, whine.
The Numbers - Oh, the Numbers! 10/26/2008 I was watching Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Friday night, and she was discussing McCain's closing strategy. It seemed to be a big deal that in Denver, he had 4,000 people show up to cheer him on. Sounded pretty impressive. Until today, when in Denver,Colorado, over 100,000 showed up to hear the man speak. Now THAT is impressive. Move over, republicans, there's a new sheriff in town. Now, if you thought that was pretty good, here's one better - in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over 45,000 showed up to see Obama. According to the Albuquerque news outlet KRQE, the numbers are in question, but estimates are from 1,000 to 3,000 showed up to see McCain. Evidently the polls show McCain as being up 2 points in New Mexico. Well, maybe he is, and maybe he isn't. The Bee says SWEEEEEEEET! We just might win this thing.
Palin is Frugal? Maybe With Her Own Money, But Not With Donor Funds 10/26/2008 The Republican National Committee has been roundly and soundly chastised recently in the press, on the blogs and even by yours truly, for spending $150,000 on Palin & Clan's wardrobes, makeup, shoes, handbags and all the accessorized baggage of a woman who doesn't understand that dropping a G on a suit does not make one worthy. Actions, words and deeds make one worthy. The dressing is irrelevant. McCain says that $50,000 worth of the clothes have been given back. What? You 'gave it back'? Was it a gift? Was it a loan from Saks? How about the makeup that the "makeup artiste" who made $28,000 in the first two weeks of October made? Did she give that back? If it seems that McCain cannot win, that is because he can't. The man is so woefully out of touch with reason, decency and the so-called "middle america" that he doesn't have a clue how stupid it sounds when he says they "gave it back." Did they get a full refund, or store credit?? Enquiring minds want to know...
The Difference Between Obama and McPalin, redux 10/23/2008 Want to know the other difference between Obama and McPalin? McPalin spent $150,000 on a campaign wardrobe for Palin, from stores like Saks, Nieman Marcus, and Macy's. How many kids who might die from tooth infections could get dental work with $150k? How many people could get health insurance for a year with $150K? How many teachers could be given stipends so they didn't have to buy the the magic markers for their class out of their own pocket? How many firefighters could be given raises so they can afford to live in the community they serve? How many EMTs? How many Iraq Vets could be given the treatment for PTSD that the Republicans have voted against funding the VA for? How many single mothers could be given reasonable daycare so they could work? $150K doesn't sound like much to a republican, but let me tell you - that's the difference between this democrat and the republicans - $150K is a LOT of money to me, and I can think of a hell of a lot of better things to spend that kind of money on than duds for a ineffective, silly, inexperienced, unteachable, insult to women in general like Sarah Palin. And I've got a $10 bill in my pocket that says these clothes will be hanging in her closet still a year from now. McPalin says the clothing will go to charity. Probably Bristol Palin's own personal charity. And they have the nerve to call us elitist? My wardrobe comes from House of Target, and Walmart. I don't need a G on a suit to prove I'm worthy. On the other hand, check out Obama's shoes:
This man has taste, and class.
The difference between Obama and McPalin 10/23/2008 Do you know what the difference is between Obama and McPalin? Well, this video, shot yesterday in my own City of Richmond, Virginia speaks volumes. Obama is about uniting this country to solve our problems. McPalin is about scaring us all to death with visions of terrorists dancing in our heads. Enough. This is the guy I want:
Obama telling us that if we believe in ourselves, if we fight with him, if we believe we can build a better america, then it is possible. All McPalin can come up with is "Obama is a terrorist." That's not a plan, and it's not acceptable. Not with the problems facing this country right now. We all know that the #1 cause of divorce is money problems. What do you think that the money problems plaguing this nation, and the rest of the world, will do to us? It will turn us on each other. Obama, I really do believe, may be the one person who can say to us, as FDR and Kennedy said before, to stop looking out for our personal selves, and start looking out for each other. McPalin, meanwhile, prattle on about "washed up terrorists" and lie through their scaly teeth about every single thing that crosses their poor excuses for minds, and think that is what people want to hear. The only people who want to hear that anymore are the lowest common denominator that shows up at their rallies - the assholes who scream "kill him." Lowest Common Denominator.
McCain: I Love Being the Underdog....(And) I've Messed It Up 10/19/2008 John McCain. What can I say? He's a nutter. He still thinks he made a great decision by picking Sarah "not-so-barracuda" Palin as his running mate. Colin Powell this morning on Meet the Press, while tossing his long republican hat into Obama's ring, said about Palin that "I don't believe (Palin) is ready to be President of the United States. Today McCain said about Palin that"She has excited and energized our base. She is a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda for America. She has a wonderful family. She's a reformer. She's a conservative. She's the best thing that could have happened to my campaign and to America," Which Liberal Feminist Agenda would that be? The one where women are desperately trying to hold onto every shred of control we have over our own bodies? Or was it the one waged early in the 20th century to get women the most basic right and duty of American citizenry - the right to vote? Or the one in the 60's where women fought for the right to equal pay - a right that has yet to manifest itself in reality? Was that the liberal agenda he referred to? Or the sacrifices and fights women have made a waged for 100 years in this country in order for little Sarah Palin, who has yet to be asked a difficult question by any of the members of this so-called "liberal elite media," to be allowed at all to even run for office, much less to hold public office? Or is it the Liberal Feminist Agenda of the multitudes of women around this country of all ages, all backgrounds and all ideological beliefs who have discarded McCain as utterly ignorant of the needs of women and just about everyone else in this country who actually works for an honest days living, much less his running mate who dismisses those needs? And McCain, while saying he "loves being the underdog" and then in the same breath says "You know, every time that I've gotten ahead, somehow I've messed it up,"does NOT inspire confidence. If the not-so-great Senator from the Great State of Arizona admits he's messed up his campaign, even in a joking manner (which I have, for the sake of my own sanity, assume that was his intent), how much could he mess up this country if allowed to do so? Plenty, ladies and gents, plenty. Bush may have driven this country into the ground over the past 8 years with attacks on the constitution (successful - FISA being but one example), attacks on the regulation of the financial and stock markets (any look at CNN or MSNBC on any weekday will show you that those also were successful, woefully so) and attacks on the rule of law (rendition ring a bell??). John McCain could very well cover the grave. Think I'm being histrionic? Look at the 2005 posts in my archives, or in the archives of any of the links over to the left, and see how much worse it really has gotten with Bush in office for 8 LONG years now, and then come tell me I'm being hysterical. CNN in the article linked above says that national polls show Obama leading McCain by 6 points. FiveThirtyEight concurs. Hope is still alive and well that the republicans can be beaten back under the rock they came from.
The Final Debate 10/16/2008 Thank goodness it's over. The final debate was last night, and boy, o boy, what a day today was. The stock market tanked and rallied again (it does that about every 15 minutes now, it seems). Joe Plumber - does McCain even know this guys last name? Oh, and he's not even licensed to be a plumber. I think he's a plant. A republican plant. John McCain is running new ads, showing an empty mock-up of an Oval Office, charging that Obama isn't ready for his first really big crisis - a economic meltdown that will only get worse between now and inauguration day. Want to know what the Bee thinks? Obama might not be ready, but Warren Buffett sure as hell is, and Obama already has been dropping hints that The Warren just might be pegged as the next Secretary of the Treasury. Hell, with Warren Buffett on board to make the government rich, we might not have to pay any taxes at all in a few years. Ain't it a grand dream? But, back to the debate. McCain: disgruntled, testy, crotchety, snarky, whining, wheedling and time-stealing rude old man. Obama: Shaft, sans leather trench coat. Cool, confident and in the words of Denny Crane, ready to Lock and Load. This is one cool guy, you have to admit. Speaking of admitting it, did you know that over at Fox News, more than 80% of voters on their online poll said Obama won that debate. That's saying something.
Common Thieves, Health Care Plans and Polls 10/13/2008 Last night, someone stole my Obama For President yard sign. They didn't just hit my house, they hit every house in the neighborhood that boasted an Obama yard sign. Talk about pathetic - that's the party of values? Since when is Common Thievery a value?? The joke is on them, though. I just received my 2nd yard sign in the mail Friday, and did not have a chance to put it up yet. I put it up today. If it disappears, I'll just trot on over to my local Obama campaign headquarters, donate a 5-spot and get another. And another. And another. They can take my sign, but they can't take my vote. On to other matters: WebMD likes Obama's healthcare plan much more than they like McCain's. McCain's will leave, in 10 years, 67 million americans uninsured and will cost 1.3 Trillion bucks. Obama's will leave half as many, 33 million, uninsured for only .3 trillion dollars more. Cost effective strategies say that Obama's plan is the better plan, duh. And, on to polls: According to the Washington Post today, Obama is up ten points over McCain. This ain't from FiveThirtyEight, folks, this is from the newspaper who took down Richard Nixon and then, at least in part, sucked BushCo's tailpipe for the past 8 years.
Palin, Wall Street and McCain Going Down In Flames 10/11/2008 Sarah Palin's campaign released their official findings Friday that she did not overstep her gubernatorial bounds in Troopergate. The campaign conducted its own investigation, and found her to have no culpability. Well, the investigation in Alaska found that she did indeed abuse her powers as Governor when she and her husband Todd Palin badgered subordinates to have her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as a State Trooper. Am I the only one who finds it unbearbly disingenous that the campaign said she did no wrong, only to have the real investigators say she did abuse her powers? Since when does telling a blatant lie 5,000 times make it true? Meanwhile, the McCain campaign is going down in the flames of its own negativity. This guy has allowed his campaign to degenerate into such a slack-jaw snivel-fest that he is being compared to George Wallace in the vehemently racial and inciteful tones his rallies are taking. Of Course, Little John is just outraged and wants Barak Obama to get on tv and tell everyone how wonderful John McCain really is, which is just pathetic. Someone at a Palin rally got so worked up at her lies and general bullshit about Obama that some idiot in the audience screamed "Kill him!" Enough - time for a breather. When Palin has people so worked up, and these are obviously people who cannot think for themselves or they wouldn't get so worked up by her nonsensical excuse for discourse, that they are screaming to lynch a presidential candidate, then Palin needs to stand back and think about what damage she is doing - not to Obama, but to this country. The last of the Jim Crow laws were only repealed 30 years ago. The Civil War was only fought 140 years ago. The Sons of the Confederate Veterans was at the booth next to McCain's campaign booth at the Virginia State Fair, in Richmond VA - yes, the former capital of the confederacy. Racism is still alive and well, unfortunately. McCain can say "hey, that's not fair!!!" when he's likened to Wallace, former Governor of Alabama and key figure in the backlash against desegregation efforts and the Civil Rights fight in general. This guy was governor of Alabama as late as 1987. Jesse Helms just died recently - a raving lunatic of a extreme right-wing bigot, who was also a North Carolina Senator until 2003. I normally would say "people change," but these guys did not change their views one damned iota over their overly long lifetimes. What is truly amazing to me, and heartening, is that a black man in 2008 can not only become a presidential nominee, but he has a hell of a good shot at winning. I find that to be a sign that maybe, just maybe, the Jesse Helms' and the George Wallace's are finally fully in their well-deserved graves on their way out of the public consciousness. Maybe, just maybe, this country is beginning to turn from its horribly misguided and misused ways. Maybe, just maybe, the opening lines from the Declaration of Independence which state that "all men are created equal" is finally beginning to be understood and lived by. It has been a long time coming, but it is time. So here is my message to John McCain: you and your "pit bull" are starting to sound a LOT like Wallace, a LOT like Helms, and a LOT like the followers of that ilk who frequent your rallies. When they are screaming to lynch "that one," then you have crossed the line in your blitzkrieg style of discourse. Don't cry foul when someone likens you to the anti-civil rights patriarchs such as Wallace and Helms, because the shoe fits. It fits better than a Prada. You can't yell "fire!" in a crowded movie theater because someone might get killed, and you cannot get your mindless followers worked up to the point that they scream "kill him" because someone just might take that seriously and do it. Mr. McCain, you've got plenty enough blood on your hands from every Bush measure in Iraq that you supported and even sold - you don't need the blood of your opponent on your hands too, so back the hell off already and tell your minions to take a pill. Take one yourself. Might do you some good. And, on to Wall Street - after the rollercoaster ride yesterday, and Thursday, and Wednesday, and hell, all week long, what is there to say? How about taking a cue from Russia, and closing down Wall Street for a couple of days, to allow everyone some thinking time and a cooling off period? Hey, Russia did it. It can't hurt. I personally think that would allow time for some maintenance crews to come into the stock exchange and put a little valium in the water coolers. And was I the only person who noticed during BushCo's little "pep talk" yesterday about how the government could and would solve the problem of destabilization of the entire planetary economy, the Dow tanked a couple of hundred points? The funny thing was, when Obama was shown on newscasts also speaking about the destabilization of the local universe, the Dow shot up a couple of hundred points. Oh, and it tends to tank again when McCain is shown speaking about the economy. I find that telling on mutiple levels. GOBAMA!
The Debate, #2 10/8/2008 The debate last night between Obama and McCain. What a show! McCain was one of the rudest, most disrepectful asses I've seen yet. I don't think it would come as much of a suprise if we found that he was simply peeved that he had to share stage space with a black guy who he referred to as "that one." Oh, and Cafepress is already selling "I'm voting for 'that one'" t-shirts - gotta love capitalism. At one point, early on, the camera angle had to be changed, because while Obama was talking, McCain was wandering around the back of the stage like an alzheimer's patient lost in Manhattan. Today's polls on various sites are telling. On MSNBC.com, Obama won the debate according to over 87% of respondents. CNN also has Obama as the winner per their online poll. Fox News didn't even bother to post a simple "click it" poll. Probably because after the VP debate, their own poll showed Biden at winning the debate by 57%. Today, Fox posted a "comments" section to pick the winner, on a blog page, with over 38,000 comments as of 5:30 p.m. e.s.t. Disingenous, at best. Today, I overheard people around the day-job building expressing their dislike of McCain's rudeness, and saying that Obama was reasonable, respectful of McCain and the audience. One woman said that she heard McCain tell an audience member that "you probably never even heard of Freddie or Fannie before all of this." Guess again, Mr. McCain - just because you never heard of them before this mess, doesn't mean the rest of us are so out of touch. Here's my guess: The stock market here and abroad will continue it's Jekyll and Hyde routine daily until November 4. On November 4, Obama will be elected, and on November 5, the markets will start to calm down. I'll put money on it. McCain will lose this election, thank whatever supreme power there may possibly be in the universe, because we can't afford 4 more years of a doddering fool.
"Tonight, Tonight, Won't Be Just Any Night..." *lyrics from some musical, I forget which one* 10/7/2008 Here's my wish list for the debate tonight: 1. John McCain's head explodes finally. It looked like it would last debate - he got mighty red in the face on a few occasions. 2. Obama does NOT let McCain get off topic, and the topic is: The Economy!! When McCain tries to start the smear crap he and Palin have been spouting all week, Obama says "That's nice, now how about the economy, John?" It's a short list, but I think I'm actually in the majority. We americans want to hear how our country is going to be pulled out of the god-awful mess it's in economically, and we don't want to hear bullying and lies and "he said she said." So, Obama needs to be his usual "No Drama Obama" and not let McCain off of the economic subject, at all. Hammer hammer hammer. The New York Times predicts that the audience, who will be posing the questions to the candidates, are going to want to hear about the economy, too. The talking heads think that the town-hall meeting is McCain's strongest method of debating. I think it might just sink his ship tonight. So, that's wish list item #3: Sink McCain's ship, once and for all.
Sad, Sad, Sad and Pathetic 10/5/2008 Evidently Sarah Palin is considered so sad and pathetic by the McCain campaign staff, and by extension McCain himself, that she is not consulted, or even told personally, that the campaign will shut down operations in Michigan and concede the state to Obama. They also evidently did not give her Nutty John's personal cell phone number, either. In the following video, Palin goes against the McCain Grain and says that she and "todd" want to go to Michigan to try to save the state by dodging missile wrenches thrown by historically pissed off american auto-workers in a car factory. She says, and I quote "... I read that this mornin' also, I fired off a quick email..." A quick email? She doesn't have his number? She doesn't have the campaign managers phone number? She READ that? They didn't even bother themselves to tell her personally, by phone, or even in an email? And didn't John McCain say he doesn't even know how to use email? They trust this woman about as far as they can throw her, and for you non-southerners, that's not very far at all. But John McCain expects the rest of the country to trust her judgement and composure, when he himself clearly does not? The Horror, the Hubris, the Idiots!!! I am truly looking forward to November 4, when Obama whoops the tar out of McCain, and Palin can go back to the obscurity of the Alaska governorship. Oh, and here's the video, enjoy!
So When Do We Get Osama Bin Laden? 10/4/08 CNN today says that the mastermind of al Qaeda in Iraq is dead, according to coalition forces. So, when do we get Osama Bin Laden's head on a platter? Oh, wait, I forgot - around 2003 Bush said he's not our primary objective anymore. Makes sense. In LaLaLand. I haven't heard McCain say one word about taking out Bin Laden. I have heard Obama say we'll finish the manhunt. Fine. IF Bin Laden is still alive. I don't believe he is. I took the hint from Bush that he's no longer the prime objective, and inferred that Bin Laden is no longer among the living. Truth is stranger than fiction.
The Vice Presidential Date 10/3/2008 After staying up waaaayyyy too late Thursday night (the Bee is most definitely not a night owl), I decided that yes, I have been completely right about Sarah Palin all along - all cutsyisms and mannerisms and quirky-isms and no substance whatsoever. At least twice, Biden had to correct her on the "obama voted against funding the troops" snot that McCain even had the sense to drop after he was smacked down on it by Obama last week. This woman obviously doesn't learn on the first try. All you republicans out there: You should be outraged that McCain thought so little of this country that he picked this wackadoo as a running mate just to make you think you're being a wonderful person by voting for a woman. You've been fooled. Again. He picked about the dumbest barbie-doll he could possibly find. It must be terrible to be constantly treated like an idiot by your party leaders.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? 10/1/2008 Ok, I can't take anymore - this is the JOKE that McCain has foisted upon the entire nation, and I can't take it ANYMORE. I am sooooo over Sarah Palin. The woman can't even tell Katie Couric what newspaper or magazines she reads - because she doesn't READ! At least George Bush admitted it. But then, to go on to try to turn it around on Katie Couric, by accusing Couric of insinuating that Alaska has no reading material - enough! The disingenuity of this woman is simply astounding. But again, at least George Bush admitted that he never reads. Go ahead, watch if you must, but I hold no liability for spewed lunches.
|
|
"The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall." - Thomas Paine, The Age Of Reason