God help us...
Need further proof on how stupid the average republican is these days? Read on... This comes from the Washington Post so unfortunately it's actually true.

Now this is party loyalty: Nearly two out of three Republicans say they would support President Bush even if his political opponent were the father of our country.

In a theoretical matchup between George W. Bush and the other George W., George Washington, 62 percent of Republicans said they would vote for Bush and only 28 percent said they would back Gen. Washington. But because Democrats and independents went strongly for Washington, he held a healthy, 19-point advantage over Bush.

(WAIT, THERE"S MORE)

The Washington College poll provides more evidence of the woeful state of Americans' historical knowledge. Eighty-seven percent of those polled were unaware that Washington's first inauguration was in New York City -- 13 percent thought it was in yet-unborn Washington, D.C. -- and more than a quarter believed Washington lived in Monticello or had a Gettysburg address.

(THANK GOD FOR THINKING DEMOCRATS, NOTE WHO IS NUMBER TWO IN BEST PREZ EVER...)

A separate poll, by the Gallup Organization, found that only 5 percent of Americans believe Washington was the greatest president, putting him two percentage points ahead of Jimmy Carter. The leaders: Reagan (20 percent), Clinton (15 percent) and Lincoln (14 percent). The current president was tied with Washington at 5 percent.

For the love of God please tell me there aren't really people in this great nation who actually think dumbfuck Dubya is our greatest president. How fucking stupid can a person be? Well with 5% of the poll choosing Dubya, it looks like people can be more fucking stupid than I ever imagined possible. How did we end up here?

From the great Bill Maher
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Political
This is from the LA TImes via Buzzflash.com

COMMENTARY

Kids Say the Darndest, Most Stalinist Things
By Bill Maher

Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher."

February 18, 2005

A new survey found that a majority of high schoolers think newspapers should not be allowed to publish without government approval. And almost one in five said that Americans should be prohibited from expressing unpopular opinions.

Lemme tell you little darlings something: This is my livelihood you're messing with, so either learn the Bill of Rights or you don't deserve Social Security.

Now, to those of you who think I'm overreacting: Yes, I understand that when you're in high school you're still very young and that no one really cares what kids say anyway -- it's not like priests are dating them for their brains.

But the younger generation is supposed to rage against the machine, not for it; they're supposed to question authority, not question those who question authority.

And what's so frightening is that we're seeing the beginnings of the first post-9/11 generation -- the kids who first became aware of the news under an "Americans need to watch what they say" administration, the kids who've been told that dissent is un-American and therefore justifiably punished by a fine, imprisonment -- or the loss of your show on ABC.

President Bush once asked, "Is our children learning?" No -- they isn't. A more appropriate question might be, "Is our teachers teaching?" In four years, you can teach a gorilla sign language. Is it too much to ask that in the same amount of time a kid be taught what those crazy hippies who founded this country had in mind?

I know the Morals & Values folks want us to take time out of the school day for prayer and the Ten Commandments and abstinence training and at least two theories of evolution -- the one agreed upon by every scientist in the world and the one that involves naked ladies and snakes -- but, lest we forget, last month the people of Iraq risked death and danger to send a simple, inspiring message: America, get out of our country. But also, we want the freedoms you take for granted.

Now, I didn't mind being on the losing side of the last election. But as a loser, I guess I have some "unpopular" opinions -- and I'd like to keep them. I'd even like to continue to say them right out loud on TV, because if I just get up there every Friday night and spout the Bush administration's approved talking points, that's not freedom or entertainment. It's Fox News.

Check out this link...it's a must see
Scary but true

Back in business
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Political
My sabbatical is over. It's time to get back to work. We lost the election but the fight rages on. Look, it's not our fault that a bunch of brain-dead rednecks are too stupid to get out of their own way. What do you expect from people who watch TV 30-50 hours a week, think Limbaugh is something more than a radio host, and and actually believe that the GOP has their best interests at heart while they are fucking them? It's to be expected. What will eventually save us is the fact that these current faux-patriots from the dreaded red states will end up jobless and penniless. Once that happens they'll go running to the government for help and they'll find out that the party they so dearly love has eliminated the programs they now desperately need. It happened in '88 it will happen again. It's good to be back. More later.

Except for this...
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: Political
I know I am supposed to be on a political sabbatical of sorts but I couldn't resist adding this to the mix.

This is from H.L. Mencken. I guess he was a prominent newspaper writer in the early part of the 20th century...apparently he was also a prophet.

Read on and enjoy....From H.L. Mencken

The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre -- the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.

The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

H.L. Mencken

I couldn't resist. Now back to sports and movies!

Let's talk a little sports...
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Everything else
I am a sports fan. A big time sports fan. I love Baseball, Football, NCAA Hoops (I hate the NBA) and Hockey. Total sports geek here. I don't do the fantasy leagues, I don't bet, and I am not a big fan of Sportscenter on ESPN. (stay tuned for my post on why ESPN has ruined sports in general and the NBA in particular) I just love my sports. I guess I am one of the few fans out there who just watch because they enjoy the games. I don't have an angle like gambling or fantasy geek leagues to keep me interested. I suppose some would say that makes me even more of a geek than most but I prefer to see myself as a purist. Think of it as enjoying art for art's sake or something. All I know is that sports beats hell out of most TV shows.

If I had to rank my favorite sports the list would look like this I guess...

College Football
Baseball
NFL Football
Hockey
NCAA Hoops

I have been following this stuff since I was old enough to get what was going on. I love it. I know this stuff like the back of my hand. My girlfriend often marvels at how much brain space I have wasted with sports knowledge. (How many people can say their brother's nickname is derived from the name of former Viking running back Brent McClanahan?) Yup, if it's classic rock or sports I have it stored up here somewhere. I am a sports geek but hey it beats doing drugs and drinking... I am telling you this to lay the groundwork for upcoming entries. My post on the best uniforms, NFL Films, ESPN etc. will make a lot more sense if you know where I am coming from. So there you have it, I am a sports dork and proud of it. Let the games begin!

And now for something completely different...
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Everything else
You know I have been venting my spleen on this blog for 7 months now. It's been 99.7% political. I could use a break from the political stuff for a while. I think it's time for some good old-fashioned fun. It's time we did some mindless, meaningless straight up blogging...at least for a while. All I have left to say about the political stuff is this... Unlike a lot of democrats, I am over it. Seriously! I am over it and it feels good to have my life back again. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the current state of political affairs, but I need a break. Hell, we all need a break. So I am going to have some fun with this thing for a while. I hope no one minds...

Don't pull any punches...(Hilarious!)
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Political
This is from www.fuckthesouth.com
I think it's pretty funny. I also think it hits the nail right on the head. I would love to credit the writer but he has to remain anonymous. Seems his little rant has more than a few people pissed off enough to send him death threats. The death threats only seem to prove his point. This may be a record for F-Bombs in a post.

Read on and enjoy....

FUCK THE SOUTH

Fuck the South. Fuck 'em. We should have let them go when they wanted to leave. But no, we had to kill half a million people so they'd stay part of our special Union. Fighting for the right to keep slaves - yeah, those are states we want to keep.


And now what do we get? We're the fucking Arrogant Northeast Liberal Elite? How about this for arrogant: the South is the Real America? The Authentic America. Really?


Cause we fucking founded this country, assholes. Those Founding Fathers you keep going on and on about? All that bullshit about what you think they meant by the Second Amendment giving you the right to keep your assault weapons in the glove compartment because you didn't bother to read the first half of the fucking sentence? Who do you think those wig-wearing lacy-shirt sporting revolutionaries were? They were fucking blue-staters, dickhead. Boston? Philadelphia? New York? Hello? Think there might be a reason all the fucking monuments are up here in our backyard?

No, No. Get the fuck out. We're not letting you visit the Liberty Bell and fucking Plymouth Rock anymore until you get over your real American selves and start respecting those other nine amendments. Who do you think those fucking stripes on the flag are for? Nine are for fucking blue states. And it would be 10 if those Vermonters had gotten their fucking Subarus together and broken off from New York a little earlier. Get it? We started this shit, so don't get all uppity about how real you are you Johnny-come-lately "Oooooh I've been a state for almost a hundred years" dickheads. Fuck off.

Arrogant? You wanna talk about us Northeasterners being fucking arrogant? What's more American than arrogance? Hmmm? Maybe horsies? I don't think so. Arrogance is the fucking cornerstone of what it means to be American. And I wouldn't be so fucking arrogant if I wasn't paying for your fucking bridges, bitch.

All those Federal taxes you love to hate? It all comes from us and goes to you, so shut up and enjoy your fucking Tennessee Valley Authority electricity and your fancy highways that we paid for. And the next time Florida gets hit by a hurricane you can come crying to us if you want to, but you're the ones who built on a fucking swamp. "Let the Spanish keep it, it's a shithole," we said, but you had to have your fucking orange juice.

The next dickwad who says, "It's your money, not the government's money" is gonna get their ass kicked. Nine of the ten states that get the most federal fucking dollars and pay the least... can you guess? Go on, guess. That's right, motherfucker, they're red states. And eight of the ten states that receive the least and pay the most? It's too easy, asshole, they're blue states. It's not your money, assholes, it's fucking our money. What was that Real American Value you were spouting a minute ago? Self reliance? Try this for self reliance: buy your own fucking stop signs, assholes.

Let's talk about those values for a fucking minute. You and your Southern values can bite my ass because the blue states got the values over you fucking Real Americans every day of the goddamn week. Which state do you think has the lowest divorce rate you marriage-hyping dickwads? Well? Can you guess? It's fucking Massachusetts, the fucking center of the gay marriage universe. Yes, that's right, the state you love to tie around the neck of anyone to the left of Strom Thurmond has the lowest divorce rate in the fucking nation. Think that's just some aberration? How about this: 9 of the 10 lowest divorce rates are fucking blue states, asshole, and most are in the Northeast, where our values suck so bad. And where are the highest divorce rates? Care to fucking guess? 10 of the top 10 are fucking red-ass we're-so-fucking-moral states. And while Nevada is the worst, the Bible Belt is doing its fucking part.

But two guys making out is going to fucking ruin marriage for you? Yeah? Seems like you're ruining it pretty well on your own, you little bastards. Oh, but that's ok because you go to church, right? I mean you do, right? Cause we fucking get to hear about it every goddamn year at election time. Yes, we're fascinated by how you get up every Sunday morning and sing, and then you're fucking towers of moral superiority. Yeah, that's a workable formula. Maybe us fucking Northerners don't talk about religion as much as you because we're not so busy sinning, hmmm? Ever think of that, you self-righteous assholes? No, you're too busy erecting giant stone tablets of the Ten Commandments in buildings paid for by the fucking Northeast Liberal Elite. And who has the highest murder rates in the nation? It ain't us up here in the North, assholes.


Well this gravy train is fucking over. Take your liberal-bashing, federal-tax-leaching, confederate-flag-waving, holier-than-thou, hypocritical bullshit and shove it up your ass.

And no, you can't have your fucking convention in New York next time. Fuck off.

Author Unknown

Nice rant from somewhere...
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Political
I don't know where this came from or who wrote it. I lifted it off a forum where someone else had posted it. The guy who posted it received it in an e-mail. The writing is not very good and a little overwraught but I liked the passion.

Thanks whoever you are....here it is...

... The American people have spoken, and they have sent the world a message:"We're barely bright enough to chew our own food."

Incompetence, incoherence, inarticulateness, pettiness and random savagery apparently do not deter the majority of Americans. The thing that really,REALLY matters to Americans? Homos. And foreigners.Both must be stopped at any cost.

Americans voted overwhelmingly in favor of bigotry, amending state constitutions around the country to prevent same-sex couples from having any rights beyond the right to live on the margins of society. We clearly have far more to fear from The International Homosexual Conspiracy (tm) than we do from North Korea and the collapse of the American health care system.

Apparently, we are truly a nation of slack-jawed yokels, awed only by grotesque displays of wealth and violence, reverent only of the bossman and beholden not even to our children, since we seem content to mortgage their future in favor of a $300 tax refund that we have traded for decent jobs, healthcare, and a just society.

We make pious noises about worshipping a Just and Merciful God, while doling out destruction and horror upon the innocent, pausing only to pat ourselves on the back for waging a "just" war to rid the world of tyrants that audaciously aspire to exist after they lose their utility to us in endless low-level conflicts to control the world's oil supply.

We seem to have become cheap, venal, vulgar and petty while we apparently don't have the ability to reason our way out of the dilemma of taking care of the sick, watching out for the elderly, and teaching our children not to be credulous, callow dupes.


The world's richest and most powerful nation seems to have lost its moral compass. We have lost interest in leading by example in favor of taking by force. I would like to say that I believe that one day in the future America might regain its senses. Unfortunately, I am not terribly optimistic. The best I can offer you is to remind you that Nixon also won a second term.

author unknown...

Joe Republican...Some food for thought.
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Political
Liberals are evil. We need to be "eliminated" according to Sean Hannity. We "are all traitors and should be treated as such" according to Ann Coulter. We should be "finished off once and for all" according to Rush Limbaugh. Yes folks, we liberals are the root of all things evil and unamerican. With that in mind, here is a little food for thought for the average middle class republican. I don't remember what site I got this from but the author is attributed. Read on and enjoy.

Joe Republican

Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

by John Gray

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican's would still be sitting in the dark)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host's keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn't tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day)? Joe agrees, "We don't need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have".

Mr. Gray forgot to mention that Joe's kids have the opportunity for a free education because some lousy liberal thought it was a good idea to create a public school system so everyone regardless of race, creed, color, or social status, could receive an education.

Joe's kids might end up at Ohio State University, Florida State University, The University of Michigan or North Carolina, Cal Berkeley,UCLA, Texas, Penn State University, etc... Joe will be really proud of his kids. Not to mention he won't have to pay an arm and a leg to send them to college. Nope Joe's kids are going to a reasonably priced state college because some liberal wanted to make sure that all Americans would have access to secondary education.

Here's a suggestion for liberal haters. Since we are of such little value to "your" country, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and boycott ALL things liberal? It's easy to have a fit and burn Dixie Chicks CDs or froth at the mouth over Michael Moore. It's easy to boycott products and TV shows etc... But if you really want to make your point, why not go all the way?

Why not boycott EVERYTHING that has liberal overtones. You can start by pulling your kids out of public schools. Quit your union. When you get hurt at work simply refuse the workers compensation. When you get laid off temporarily (which happens a lot at factories) why not go out and get a job instead of collecting unemployment for a week or two? Why not tell the government to shove it and pay your parents social security yourself? Better yet, since you hate taxes so much why not boycott everything that is paid for with your tax dollars?

Supposedly you conservatives are so full or integrity and moral superiority. Why not show us liberals once and for all that you are dead serious about this and boycott everything that is paid for with tax dollars? I can tell you why not. Because you wouldn't know where to begin let alone where to stop.

This sums it up...
Mood:  cheeky
Topic: Political
The Daily Mirror Newspaper in England ran the following headline after the election. "HOW CAN 59 MILLION PEOPLE BE SO DUMB?"

Will Durst from workingforchange.com has the answer... ;)

Read on and enjoy...



Stupid people love Bush
New study shows correlation between decline of IQ and rise of GOP

"Stupid people love Bush" new study proves.

According to the prestigious Southern California think tank, The Gluton Group, stupid people prefer President George W Bush over Senator John Kerry by a 4-to-1 margin. As Chief Resident Dr. Louis Friend characterized the results of the research, "the less intelligent you are, the more you like Bush." This landmark study, conducted over a 5 month period, involved 2400 likely voters bridging all economic stratas in the 17 states generally considered up for grabs on November 2nd. Participants were tested for intelligence, then asked to fill out a 12 page series of questions involving the Presidential candidates with results released earlier this week.

The consensus: the higher the IQ, the less people trust Bush and respect the job his administration has done. The lower the IQ, the more people admire his steadfastness. "It was pretty much a slam dunk. There's no nice way to say this. Dumb people like him. They think his unwavering nature is a positive personality trait. They even venerate him for never admitting mistakes, even when he's wrong. On the other hand, smart people think he's a lying bully. I mean, c'mon, you have a deserter accusing a decorated veteran of treason. Who's going to buy that besides stupid people?"

Preliminary results:
IQ Above 140: Kerry 80%, Bush 20%.
120-140: Kerry 65%, Bush 35%.
100-120: Kerry 54%, Bush 46%.
80-100: Bush 54%, Kerry 46%.
60-80: Bush 60%, Kerry 15%, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 25%.

Apparently Bush's good-evil, black-white philosophy resonates on an inverse relationship with higher education, whereas it became evident over the period of analysis that John Kerry's nuanced arguments are only understood by people who paid attention in any class above the 5th grade.

Doctor Friend elaborated: "It has to do with intellectual curiosity. Folks see Bush in front of a stream talking about the environment and they assume he's in favor of it, even though if you read his legislation, I'd be surprised to hear him endorse shade. This also explains why Bush gets away with pretending he doesn't know how the Senate works, allowing him to call Kerry a flip-flopper."

Friend released evidence that this type of disconnect exists across the board: education, foreign policy, the economy, post 9-11 security response and State Dinner entertainment choices. Also discovered was a direct correlation between the number of preset Country Western stations on car radios and Bush's approval rating. Dr. Friend attributes this phenomena to the simplicity inherent in the messages indigenous to both. Classical music listeners were preponderantly Kerry supporters, but surprisingly, on heavy metal, the two split down the middle.

Spotting a trend, Friend cautioned, "Because of the deterioration in public education, larger and larger segments of the population are creeping downward IQ-wise, cementing the hold Republicans have on the electorate." However, if the election were held today, Bush would hold a lead of 52-48 in the popular vote, but would be virtually tied in the Electoral College, which Bush supporters argue against because the word College angers them. When contacted, a Kerry spokesman just chuckled. No Bush spokesperson was made available for comment. It was also found that Ralph Nader supporters were the brightest of all political proponents tested, but Dr. Friend dismissed them as "too smart for their own good."

In a related study, smart people prefer baseball because the pace is such that there is time to read. Will Durst has two country western stations preset on his car radio. Okay, no he doesn't.

Will Durst writes for workingforchange.com and has been known to pop up in a few e-mail in boxes. He is also listed at UL's What's New Section.

More of "Them" than " Us... from MSNBC
Mood:  a-ok
Eric Alterman hit this one out of the park. I have spent 7 months now trying to nail the difference between Liberals and Conservatives. Alterman sums up it up in one brilliant article. Check him out at MSNBC.com Here's the article. Enjoy.

MORE "THEM" THAN "US"

(Still) A LAND OF HOPES AND DREAMS

By: Eric Alterman

Let's face it.? It's not Kerry's fault.? It's not Nader's fault (this time).? It's not the media's fault (though they do bear a heavy responsibility for much of what ails our political system). It's not "our" fault either. The problem is just this:? Slightly more than half of the citizens of this country simply do not care about what those of us in the "reality-based community" say or believe about anything.

They don't care that Iraq is turning into murderous quicksand and a killing field for our children.? They don't care that the Bush presidency has made us less safe by creating more terrorists, inspiring more anti-American hatred and refusing to engage in the hard work that would be necessary to make a meaningful dent in our myriad vulnerabilities at home.? They don't care that he has mortgaged our children's future to give trillions to the wealthiest among us.? They don't care that the economy continues to hemorrhage well-paying jobs and replace them with Wal-Mart; that the number without health insurance is over forty million and rising.? They don't care that Medicare premiums are rising to fund the coffers of pharmaceutical companies.? They don't care that the air they breathe and the water they drink is being slowly poisoned and though they call themselves conservatives, they even don't care that the size of the government and its share of our national income has increased by roughly a quarter in just four years.? This is not a world of rational debate and issue preference.

It's one of "them" and "us."? He's one of "them" and not one of "us" and that's all they care about.? True it's an illusion.? After all, Bush is a millionaire's son who went to Yale and Harvard and sat out Vietnam, not even bothering to show up for his cushy National Guard duty, and succeeded only in trading on his father's name and connections in adult life.? But somehow, they feel he understands them.? He speaks their language.? Our guys don't.? And unless they learn it, we will continue to condemn this country and those parts of the world it affects to a regime of malign neglect at best--malignant and malicious assault at worse.?

Given the media's talent for pandering to their lowest common denominator, the things that have driven us crazy about their past pathetic performance are bound to get a lot worse.? Most of us--readers and writers of this web log and peoplelikeus-- derive an awful lot of benefit from being Americans.? We owe it to our better selves, and though it sounds horribly clich?d, to our children-- not to walk away from this battle.? I will admit, however, it's pretty damn hard to see through this fog just where to turn before we march.

Here we go again...
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Political
As the great prophet Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again." Today I got up at a the much more reasonable hour of 10:00 am expecting to see Bush's smug mug all over the headlines. Instead I see that Ohio is now indeed the Florida of 2004. (I hope we get the weather that goes with that designation.) So here we go again but this time there is one key difference, Bush won the popular vote. It's that simple. He got the most votes. More people want Bush than Kerry. I for one think that's enough to let him win it.

This time we don't have the moral highground like we did in 2000. In 2000 we won the popular and the electoral but got screwed in Florida. This time we lost the popular and it looks like we lost the electoral. We don't have a leg to stand on this time. This time we are acting like a bunch of whiny republicans and that is unacceptable. We lost. Deal with it.

Oh and by the way, Bush still sucks. Now more than ever.

The Election...
Mood:  quizzical
Just a few quick notes from election day in Ohio...

I started the day early. Got up at 7 am which is unheard of for me. Too geeked to sleep any longer I guess. I was brimming with confidence. We were gonna win big!

By 9 am I had crashed for the 1st of many times for the day. I was sure Bush had it locked up. Decided to hit McDonald's for breakfast. I figured I may as well take advantage of being up and around so early. I love McDonald's breakfast food. I overheard some old dudes going over the possibilities. They were Bush supporters and they were as clueless as I was. None of us had any idea how this thing was going to play out. That helped my confidence a little.

Went home and did busy work. I even did a load of laundry. Another precedent was set. I always do my laundry at night. I goofed around and wasted time until 11 am. Then the real debate began. What do I wear to vote? I needed to make sure it was a "lucky" outfit. (I told you I am big on omens and superstitions! It's the ball player in me I can't help myself.)

After around 30 minutes of carefully choosing my clothes I had to wait for the right time to go vote. There was no science involved I just waited for it to feel right. Around 11:45 the mood was right and I headed for the polls. Wouldn't you know as soon as I walk in, there's my girlfriend's step-dad; a noted republican. Our voting place serves 2 precincts. As fate would have it, his precinct was on the right side of the room mine was on the left. Perfect. Our side had 3 people his had one. (Another omen?) We were as cordial as two people who despise each other's politics and are locked in a mortal battle for the soul of America can be...just kidding....We didn't talk for long but it was simply because he had to get back to work. We made a couple of good natured barbs at each other and he went on his way. I headed for the booth...

Once in the booth I was struck with a brilliant idea. I would not cast a vote for president on the off chance that Ohio would end in a tie and it would have been my fault! I had the chance to stop America in it's tracks! I'd hit the talk show circuits and make a million bucks. I have to admit that I was tempted for a minute or two. The irony was too great to ignore. Here I had spent the last 7 months harping on neocons and the election only to walk away at the moment of truth. Looking back, I wish I had done it. It would have been my Jim Brown moment. Needless to say I cast my ballot and another precedent was set. For the first time that I can remember, I voted a straight democratic ticket. I left my polling place and headed for Ohio State. I had crashed again. Bush in a walk.

After sitting through my class paying about as much attention to the lecture as I do to the aforementioned step-dad's stories, I decided to talk with my art professor about missing class in order to work the phones. To my very pleasant surprise he told me he'd rather have me working the phones than in class. Turns out he's about as anti-Bush as I am. My confidence was back. We may win this thing.

Went home told my girfriend that I was no use in the house and I would end up driving her crazy so I was headed to headquarters. I think I said I was fighting until the last dog died. I hit headquarters and said put me on the phone banks I am gonna win Ohio for us all by myself. The top of the hill on the roller coaster! I phone banked until 7:10 the polls closed at 7:30. It was time to lay down my sword.

We turned on the TV at headquarters and within 5 minutes I was at the bottom of the hill again. Bush in a rout. After about an hour of hanging out watching the early returns I decided I had had enough. I left without telling a soul and headed home.

I got home and decided that it was a good time to remove all the yard signs and stickers. I pulled up the yard signs, took the stickers off my car, came in the house and put Star Wars in the DVD player. I was done. Bush was going to win and I was going to a place a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I watched the DVD until around 10 but my curiosity got the best of me.

I flipped over to MSNBC and the news wasn't looking good. I hit bottom. We were going to lose period. I went upstairs and told my girlfriend that I needed to find a way to reconcile my anger and depression over this shit. This election was eating me alive. Not just today but for the last 7 months. I had developed an irrational hatred for all things and people republican in nature. It had to stop. Then it got hilarious. I literally went through the 5 stages so fast that I figure Elizabeth Kubler-Ross will be sending me confirmation soon that I set the new record. I was depressed, then angry, then I went into denial, then I bargained, then finally I came to acceptance which leads us to now.

I am at the computer (obviously) listening to Air America and wouldn't you know it, Ohio is indeed the Florida of 2004. We're up in the air, FOX called it early trying to repeat their performance of 2000, and already the battle over provisional and absentee ballots has begun. Here we go again.

Right now I am just enjoying our time at the center of the political universe. I hope we don't embarass ourselves. Now I am going to ask John Kerry for a favor. If the final count in Ohio comes out in Bush's favor even by 10 votes, let it go for the good of the nation. We need to end this acrimony and try to reunite as a nation. We don't need another 2000. We gave it a helluva shot and we fell short. I can live with that.

These idiots might believe they won the war but all they did was win a big battle. Our ideas are still better. Everyone knows it. Fear is a serious motivator. So is hate. Add in some good old ignorance and you see what we are up against. A fearful, hate-filled, clueless populace will eat bags of shit if they are conivinced it's the only food available. Karl Rove convinced a lot of good people that shit is all there is and only he could supply it. As an American I can't stand idly by and watch these people ruin our nation. I asked John Kerry a favor earlier and now I am asking you for a favor. Remain vigilant. Never give up. Fight until the last dog dies. Let's show these assholes the true spirit of America.

I for one am not going anywhere.

Goodnight.

One more for the road...
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Political
I have said it since back in February when this campaign got serious. This election is about more than Republican vs. Democrat or liberal vs. conservative. It's about more than Bush vs. Kerry. This election is a battle for the soul of America.

What kind of nation do we want to be? That is the question. Tomorrow we answer it. Do we want to be a nation that is based on fear, anger, exclusion and hate? Or do we want to be the nation that we are capable of being? A nation that believes in equal opportunity for all. A nation that strives to reach our highest potential. That's what it's all about.

It is my hope, my prayer, that come tomorrow we will wake up and rise to the occasion. It is my sincere belief that a great nation will rise again for this election. I believe that we will recapture the greatness that has been missing for the last four years. I have faith in the greatness of my country. I believe she will show up tomorrow and we will take that first step back towards the nation that is our heritage and our birth right. America deserves better and tomorrow we'll get it.

Bruce Mulkey of BruceMulkey.com said it better than I can. Here is the article from his website. Enjoy.

Good luck tomorrow. I'll talk to you on Wednesday...


What kind of America do you want to wake up to on November 3?

October 30 , 2004

For all of the negative ads, for all of the half-truths and outright lies by the candidates, for all of the faux debates, for all of the 15-second sound bites, at its core this presidential election is a struggle for the soul of America.

If you were thinking that the question was whether to vote for Bush or Kerry, for the Republican or the Democrat, guess again. The real issue is whether you will cast a vote for a group of true believers who have undertaken what they consider to be a divinely sanctioned crusade or leaders who want to empower everyone who wishes to participate in the political process regardless of ethnic origin, spiritual practice or sexual preference. For an administration that fantasizes about a Pax Americana in which the US rules the world through military might or a government that seeks to rejoin the family of nations and regain the respect that once was ours. Toward a court system packed with fundamentalist judges who want to turn back the clock or a justice system in which diversity is truly valued and everyone is equal under the law.

A DIRECT LINE TO GOD?
George W. Bush believes he was divinely chosen to lead our nation. What's more, he evidently gets instructions from the heavens on which enemies to smite. "God told me to strike at Al Qaida, and I struck them," Bush declared. "And then He instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did." Conversely, John Kerry takes a more humble approach to faith and leadership. In his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president in July, Kerry stated, "I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side."

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS
In September 2002 the Bush administration unveiled its National Security Strategy. Drawing heavily from the neoconservative Project for the New American Century, Bush, Rumsfeld, et al revealed their blueprint for US world domination, advocating the use of pre-emptive military strikes to subdue real or imagined foes and extend US power around the globe. On the other hand, John Kerry has pledged to free America from its dangerous dependence on Mideast oil and create new alliances among the nations of the world to deal with the threat of terrorism.

SUPREME COURT APPOINTMENTS ON THE HORIZON
The next president may get to appoint as many as three Supreme Court Justices, appointments with long-term ramifications for our society. And with the announcement Monday that Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80, is suffering from thyroid cancer, one such appointment may be imminent. Bush revealed what sort of nominees can be expected should he win reelection when he appointed Alabama Attorney General William Pryor to the Eleventh US Circuit Court of Appeals despite the fact that Pryor has a record of opposing civil rights, women's rights and federal environmental protections. And though Kerry has not disclosed a list of potential nominees, he has frequently quoted the late Justice Potter Stewart, who once said," 'The mark of a good judge is a judge whose opinion you can read and have no idea if the judge was a man or a woman, Republican or Democrat, a Christian or a Jew. You just know he or she was a good judge."

George W. Bush was not elected in 2000 in the usual sense; he lost the popular vote and was declared president by a 5-4 Supreme Court decision. Even so, he has pursued a zealous right wing agenda that has polarized the nation and been disavowed by some life-long Republicans, such as John Eisenhower, son of Dwight D. Eisenhower, and some of the conservative media, including The American Conservative magazine. It's not hard to imagine what extreme policies Bush might engage in if the American people legitimize the past four years by rewarding him with another four.

There is a choice, of course. There always is. Will you choose the candidate who, unwilling to run on his record, appeals to our basest instincts and tries to scare us into voting for him? Or will you choose the candidate who calls out the best in us and reminds us what America truly stands for?

In this election year, the future of our nation hangs in the balance. And while we have no control over the outcome, each of us can do our part. My hope is that you will wake up next Wednesday morning with the satisfaction of knowing you've done everything you could possibly do to change the course of America toward peace, prosperity, justice and sustainability.

Well said Bruce. Check out his site. www.brucemulkey.com