Will the Warmonger

Here are the facts, people. a) I was against the Iraq War from day one (I definitely would have been one of those 22 no-votes in the Senate). b) While I was fully in favor of the military action to take out as much of the al Qaeda terror network as possible, when that same military initiative transformed itself into an occupation/nation-building enterprise, I at that point opposed it (unlike the vast majority of Democrats who continued to champion it as some sort of noble war). c) I was opposed (consistently and vociferously so) to BOTH military surges; Mr. Bush's in Iraq and Mr. Obama's in Afghanistan. d) I was against our whole getting involved in Libya (I saw neither a national interest nor a stark distinction between the two warring parties). e) I was even against the first frigging Iraq War (this, though, I've since admitted to being wrong on that one)....................................................................................................How ANYBODY in his or her right mind could call a person with this type of resume, "pro war", is absolutely astounding. I mean, come on here, people.

Note to CNN's Cornell Belcher 1

Dude, while I agree with you that Herman Cain's comment about Black people being "brainwashed" (in Mr. Cain's defense, he actually said," a lot of", and not, ALL, as was your allegation) was, at the very least, exceedingly inartful, I can also assure you that he is far, FAR, from the only person out there who's using such stereotypes..............................................................................................First off all, you had President Obama himself talking in terms of "typical white people" and rural individuals "clinging to their guns and religion". Then you had Sonia Sotomayor proclaiming that Latino women were superior to white men when it comes to such attributes as empathy, compassion, etc.. Of course, some of the MOST vitriolic stereotyping of all can often be had on supposedly progressive blogs. I mean, dude, if you think that what Herman Cain said was troublesome, try reading some of what these far-left bloggers have been saying about white, working-class Republicans lately. They frigging call them every God damn name in the book! Not necessarily that I'd fully expect your sympathies to flow in their direction, mind you, but, hey, who in the hell am I to stereotype?

The Dangling of the Kid Off the Balcony - Definitely

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what in your opinion, was the craziest thing that Michael Jackson ever did (at least of the things that we're aware of)?"

Twin Dolts From Different Networks (With Apologies to Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg)

Ed Schultz has proven, YET AGAIN, that he is nothing more than a left-wing version Fox's Sean Hannity. He took a speech by the admittedly doltish Rick Perry and perpetrated what could only be referred to as a textbook "Hannity". It happened just last week. Mr. Perry was talking about the national debt and referred to it metaphorically as a "black cloud". Instead of showing the entire quote in its context, Mr. Schultz spliced the tape and made it sound as if the Texas Governor was calling President Obama a black cloud. Yep, you got it. He was essentially trying to imply that Mr. Perry was a racist...................................................................................................And, get this, after the dude was caught and he had to finally fess up, he apologized, not to Perry (who he clearly attempted to slander with this) but to his God-damned frigging audience!!!!! He also tried to say that it was an honest mistake and NOT a blatant manipulation....My frigging God, huh? I'm telling you here, folks, he and Mr. Hannity should just have a mud-wrestling contest and be done with it.

On (Some) Progressives 1

They turn liberals into moderates and moderates into conservatives...............................................................................................P.S. On a personal note, when I first starting blogging four and a half years ago, I firmly considered myself to be a liberal; an anti-war, anti-Fox News liberal. Now, though, I'd probably have to say that I'm much more of a moderate....Of course, the real question here has to be; have I changed, or have the crazies simply hijacked the term and moved the goal-posts? I don't know, I suspect that it's probably a combination.

Sluggers R Him

The best hitter in baseball over the past 10-12 years would unquestionably have to be Albert Pujols. The fellow has consistently hit for both average AND power AND he's clutch. Who's the second best? That's a little bit harder to ascertain. For me, though, I would probably have to go with Vlad Guerrero. Statistically, the dude (who, for some inexplicable reason, seems to get traded a lot) has put up some absolutely unbelievable numbers. During his 15 year major league career, he's accumulated 1,326 runs scored, 2,586 hits, 476 doubles, 449 "dingers", 1,495 runs-batted-in, 737 walks, and a .318 lifetime batting average. Hell, folks, the dude has even stolen 180 bases to boot................................................................................................The way that I see it, the fellow's a sure-fire Hall of Famer (even if he retired tomorrow) and, even if he has only modest years over the next 3 or 4 (he'll be 37 next month), he'll probably end up as just the 5th player (the other 4 being Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Eddie Murray, and Raphael Palmiero) in big league history with both 500 homers and 3,000 hits. That, to me, is an extraordinary feat. Vlad Guerrero, the #2 hitter in baseball over the past decade, IMHO.

Bobby Orr (With Apologies to Willie Mays and Michael Jordan)

What would be my answer to the question, "So, who, in your opinion, is the greatest athlete in the history of organized team sports?"....................................................................................................P.S. And, no, I'm not a particularly big fan of hockey, either. I just happen to recognize greatness when I witness it.

A Low-Tech Stereotyping

Count me, folks, as one of the people who didn't think that that Troy Davis guy should have been executed last week. While, yes, the fellow indeed MAY have been guilty, there was also certainly more than enough reasonable doubt, not just to stay the execution but to possibly even give him another trial. The only exception to the criticism that I have is this belief on the part of certain people that this executions de facto mean that Georgia, in its total, is a racist state. The way that I see it, peeps, "Georgia is a racist state" is far, Far, FAR, too broad a condemnation. Yes, there are obviously some racist elements and racist individuals in it but a state that also has Emory University, Georgia Tech, and which is also the home of CNN, The High Museum of Art, and a former U.S. President shouldn't so cavalierly be slandered like this. To use the words of our current U.S. President, "People, kindly use a scalpel."

I've Abandoned My Child! I've Abandined My Child! I've Abandoned My Boy!

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what was your reaction the first time that you got to see Geena Davis topless?"

Not a Lot of Progress

So, what is it exactly that makes a "Progressive" progressive? Is it simply the action of lobbying for a chubbier/far more active Federal government? OR....is there a little more to it than that? I mean, just look at me, for instance. a) I've spent the entirety of my adult life working with vulnerable populations (the handicapped, the disadvantaged, the elderly) - in human services, special education, etc.. b) I've been a strict vegetarian for nearly 20 years (they say that the best way to reduce your "carbon footprint" is to eat less factory meat) - partly out of health reasons but also out of a love for animals and respect for the environment (have you ever gotten a load of that pig stench in North Carolina?). c) I've driven nothing but (high mileage) economy cars for my frigging entire life. d) I recycle EVERYTHING. Hell, folks, I even take stuff from my job and recycle it. e) I've consistently made donations to the local food bank. And even on the God damned frigging issues, for Christ!; I'm pro-choice, pro gay-rights, pro immigration reform, pro progressive taxation, anti-war..........................................................................................................I guess what I'm trying to ask here, folks, is, why in the hell can't I be considered a progressive?...I mean, seriously, does it ALWAYS have to be some lunatic on cable, some angry miscreant sitting behind a computer bitching and carping, etc.? That's sure as hell what it seems to be lately - you say that you oppose a 77.65% top tax rate and they want you out of the country.

Miscellaneous 100

1) O'Reilly has gone on numerous tirades about Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The dude goes on and on about just how far out of the mainstream that this justice is and has even gone as far as to call her an extremist. Contrast this to the fact that Mr. O'Reilly has never, EVER, done an equivalent dressing-down of the high court's far-right jurists; Mr.s Thomas and Scalia. Is he trying to tell us (through his silence) that these two bellicose ball-busters ARE in the mainstream? Methinks that Mr. O'Reilly isn't exactly being fair and balanced here?............2) Another thing that O'Reilly is constantly saying is that hard-right in this country doesn't have the same opportunities and platforms as the rabid far-left does (The New York Times, NBC News, Newsweek, etc.), and that that's why he doesn't tend to focus on the right-wing lunacy. Yeah, huh? Never mind the fact that a) political talk-radio is almost exclusively right, b) individuals on his own frigging network are bonkers, and c) publications and web-sites such as the "Washington Examiner" and "World Net Daily" constantly spew highly questionable stuff. I think that we just have to face it here, peeps, now that Keith Olbermann has been demoted into obscurity, Mr. O'Reilly may have finally regained that crown as the high-prince of naked paranoia.............3) Have you also noticed that MSNBC (especially in prime time, with its partisan ramrods) doesn't appear to be all that interested in the Solyndra controversy? Yikes, huh? In fact, folks, I haven't seen an omission this naked since boxer Floyd Mayweather went on "Pardon the Interruption" and refused to say, Pacquiao.

Kirk Douglas's Top Five Most Memorable Performances IMHO

5) "Lonely Are the Brave" (Mr. Douglas's personal favorite of his movies)............. 4) "Paths of Glory" (the most underrated antiwar movie ever)............. 3) "Spartacus" (in reality, only HE was Spartacus)............. 2) "The Bad and the Beautiful" (deliciously scrimy Mr. Douglas was in this one)............. 1) "Lust for Life" (he didn't borrow van Gogh, he OWNED van Gogh)............. Honorable mention) "Champion" (not my favorite boxing movie but a great performance nonetheless).

The Five Greatest Presidents in U.S. History IMHO

5) Teddy Roosevelt (trust-busting, conservation, "speak softly but carry a big stick")............. 4) Harry Truman (strong anti-Communist, pro-business, "the buck stops here")............. 3) John F. Kennedy (the Cuban missile crisis, cut taxes, "ask not what your country can do for you......")............. 2) George Washington (yes, he was a slave-holder but he also founded the damned country).............1) Abraham Lincoln (the Emancipation Proclamation, saved the union, "four score and seven years ago......").

The 64 Brain-Cell Question

What should we be more suspicious of, folks; a dumb man (Rick Perry) or a smart man (Mitt Romney) who's acting dumb in order to get support? Hm, I'm not at all certain.

I'd Be a Gazillionaire

What would be my answer to the question, "So, how much money would you have if, for every time that Dick Armey uttered 'the fact of the matter', you got a nickel?"

Miscellaneous 99

1) At the risk of alienating my conservative friends/colleagues, I really have to admit it. Mr. Obama's proposal to raise taxes on people making over a million dollars a year is absolutely brilliant. And, yes, me-buckos, it's brilliant from both a policy (this, in that it reduces the deficit and doesn't touch small business owners one iota) AND politics (this, in that it puts the Republicans in the unenviable position of having to defend multi-millionaires) perspective. Of course, the real question pertaining to Mr. Obama still remains. Will the fellow stand his ground and fight for it, or will he capitulate? If in fact the past is any indicator of the future.................2) Black unemployment in 1983 was 19.5%. By 1989, it was all the way down to 11.4%, a nearly 42% reduction. How much credit does President Reagan deserve for this? Some? None? Metaphysical? I suppose that it all really depends on your political affiliation, huh?............3) I saw Jimmy Carter on the "Rachel Maddow Show" the other night. It was actually quite an interesting interview (President Carter, whatever you may happen to think of him politically, always seems to come across as gracious/classy). One of the more provocative points that the former President made was that maybe people like him, who have already made a shitload of money during their lifetime, don't necessarily need all of their Social Security upon retirement, that perhaps in fact some of that money could go instead to strengthening the system overall. It was a very persuasive argument that he made and I agree with it. Enough already with this subsidizing of well-to-do retirees.............4) Another interesting statistic (from the Joint Center for Political Studies) about Reagan is that, during his tenure in the White House, the black middle class grew from 3.6 million households to 4.8 million households. That's a robust 33% increase. Now, is this increase simply the by-product of a demographic increase (as opposed to the policies of President Reagan) that would have happened anyway? I don't know. But it is in fact interesting

In Response to the Outrage of Me Saying that Christopher Columbus Doesn't Rise to the Heights of Hitler

a) I admitted that there were atrocities. I just posited that atrocities and genocide aren't necessarily equivalent.............b) The Magna Carta obviously applied only to white Europeans. I mean, how in the hell else can you justify the fact that the English continued to subjugate the people of Africa (introducing the concept of slavery to North America where it continued for another TWO HUNDRED years), North America (the English murdered and enslaved just as many Native-Americans as the Spaniards and far more than Christopher Columbus), and Asia (India and what eventually became Pakistan).............c) No, none of us have ever raped and pillaged. But if we were alive, and had been with Columbus in 1492, we most assuredly would have. People, folks, are largely the by-product of their time period, culture, and environment. To think that one enlightened soul, in what was obviously an episode of anomie (the concept borrowed from German sociologist, Emile Durkheim) would have ever had the insights and the wherewithal to stand up and utter, "Stop!", is highly improbable.............d) Virtually EVERY slaveholder in the American South had raped their female slaves at one point or another (why do you think that African-Americans are lighter in skin color than African-Africans?). If Christopher Columbus was a Hitler for this particular transgression, then virtually every single slave-holder in the old South has to be considered one, too.............e) Similarly, if Christopher Columbus is considered a Hitler, then Montezuma has to be considered one, too. This, in that, yes, the Aztecs engaged in a far more systematic mass-murder than Columbus and his legions ever did.............f) ONCE AGAIN, the construct of childhood is largely a modern phenomenon. This, in that wasn't until two hundred or so years ago that children weren't considered little more than tiny adults...whose value amounted to little more than what they could contribute economically to the family. The fact that Columbus's men raped 9 year-olds at that time wasn't any more heinous (and, yes, as a 21st Century person, I agree heartily, it was heinous) than them raping 19 year-olds.............g) Far more African-Americans were murdered (many of them thrown overboard on the way to America) and/or worked to death during Thomas Jefferson's time in the Virginia House of Burgesses, his time as Governor, and later during his tenure as President than Native-Americans ever were during Columbus's stint in the Caribbean. Add to that the fact that 1) Jefferson was a far more enlightened individual than Christopher Columbus (a man with really no formal education) was and 2) he never even once ATTEMPTED to get rid of slavery and, I don't know, six of one half, dozen of another?............h) I have never once asserted that Christopher Columbus was Gandhi or Mother Teresa (though I hear that a lot of liberals don't exactly like her now, either). He obviously was not. I have only tried to supply some perspective and context to the analysis - you know, the thing that scholarly historians are supposed to do.............i) If the behavior of Columbus and his crew were considered barbaric, even for that time, why was there not more of a significant condemnation of it? Surely the severity of the exploits had to have been known eventually. The way that I see it, folks, if anybody here was a Hitler, it had to have been Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. This in that they're the ones who bankrolled the whole operation and condoned the slavery.............j) Jorge Estevez is the director of the National Museum of the Native-American in Manhattan. The man himself is of Taino descent. According to Mr. Estevez, the widely spread accounts that the followers of Columbus wiped out the Taino people are inaccurate. Yes, many Taino did die. But many others intermingled with the Spanish and others who went into slavery weren't counted due to tax evasion. He cites specifically a 1514 census which showed that over 40% of the Spaniards had taken at least one Taino wife and, unless these were strictly platonic relationships, there had to have been numerous offspring. Add to this some recent findings from a study in Puerto Rico. These researchers have put forth evidence that over 60% of present-day Puerto Ricans have at least some Amerindian mitochondrial DNA (a higher % than those which possess European or African DNA). It appears, folks, that the demise of the Taino Indian isn't as rigidly absolute as previously thought.

$16 Muffins, $10 Cookies, $8 Cups of Coffee

And they wonder why we're frigging pissed.

Robert Stack in "Written on the Wind" - With Apologies to Nicholas Cage ("Leaving Las Vegas") and Ray Milland ("The Lost Weekend")

What would be my answer to the question, "So, who, in your opinion, gave the greatest big screen drunk performance of all time?"

On Columbus Continued

Christopher Columbus was shaped by a culture and time period that was characterized largely by a) conquest, b) religious superstition, c) religious intolerance, d) ignorance and a lack of enlightenment, e) slavery, f) slavery as a by-product of conquest, g) the conversion of primitive peoples to Christianity, h) a belief that naked people represented an age that was prior to and distinct from that of Europe, and that these same people could reap the benefit of European "civilization", and i) a markedly different conceptualization of childhood than we presently have (children were often seen as expendable, chattel, and frequently married off early). To think that this one man, Christopher Columbus, could have conceivably transcended ALL of this and somehow emerge as a sort of 15th Century version of Mahatma Gandhi nearly FOUR HUNDRED YEARS prior to the abolition of slavery in America is ludicrous......................................................................................................Look, folks, I'll admit it, what happened to the Native-Americans was a tragedy (and, yes, I went through a Native-American/white European guilt phase, too - "The Long Death", "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", "The Life and Death of Crazy Horse", "Bloodlines", "Black Elk Speaks", "Killing Custer", basically whatever I could get my hands on). But it was also an inevitability. This, in that, even if Christopher Columbus had never frigging existed, another European would have eventually reached America. And, yes, me-buckos, that European would have brought with him the same diseases, the same superstitions, the same bellicosity, etc.. And, besides, it's not like the end result was totally bad. I mean, just think about it here. If it wasn't for the United States and Canada, we all would probably be over in Europe heil Hitlering for the third or fourth generation.....waiting on Montezuma and company to come and rescue us.......................................................................................................P.S. And, yes, the use of the term, "genocide", here is exceedingly inaccurate. One, it blames Christopher Columbus for ALL of the Native-American deaths - even those that happened some 300 plus years after the fellow's death. And, two, it's just a flat-out inappropriate utilization of the term. Genocide, people, is the INTENTIONAL attempt toward the eradicating of a population. Columbus didn't set out to annihilate the the indigenous population of the Caribbean. On the contrary here, he wanted to convert them to Christianity. Yes, he did in fact enslave some of them, too. But it wasn't the slavery that ended up killed them, IT WAS DISEASE (conservative estimates on the percentage of Native- Americans killed off via disease - as opposed to those that were killed off via violence - is 80%, EIGHTY PERCENT!). Now, this isn't to say that there weren't atrocities. There obviously were. But there's indeed a big difference between atrocities and genocide. A humongous one.....................................................................................................P.S. 2 Here's another way to look at it. Let's just say that the Europeans had come to America with the very BEST of intentions (they obviously didn't but just for the sake of argument here), had treated the Native-Americans as if they were Gods and Goddesses, etc., there STILL would have been a massive number of deaths as a result, simply because of the staggering lack of resistance to European diseases....AND what if one of the more advanced Native-American peoples, such as the Incas, had made it to Europe prior to the Europeans ever having made it to America? Those Native-Americans would THEN have brought the European diseases back to America with them and caused a major killing off of natives THAT way - this, folks, without a single European person ever having set foot on America! I think that we just have to call a spade a damn spade here. A lot of this "the pendulum swinging too far in the opposite direction" stuff is simply the result of radical college professors doing yet another hit-job on anything that's white, European, and/or Christian. The way that I see it here, Christopher Columbus wasn't any more a Hitler than the dude was a hero. He was, as most of us plainly are, somewhere in between.

Open a Book Yourself, Kemosabe

Chris Matthews loves to make fun of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann for their their obvious lack of historical acumen; the fact that Bachmann said that the founding fathers "worked tirelessly" to get rid of slavery, the fact that Palin said that Paul Revere was actually trying to warn the British that the British were coming, etc.. He pretty much does it constantly and, while, yeah, it is in fact humorous at times, it's also getting a little sanctimonious, too....................................................................................................And, plus, it isn't like Matthews himself never errs. Just the other night, for example, he throw out that old hackneyed and now thoroughly discredited bromide that Herbert Hoover "did nothing to try and end the depression". If Mr. Matthews actually DID know his history, he'd have known that President Hoover - a) worked with the Chamber of Commerce to set up the National Business Survey Conference (an entity that sought to obtain pledges from business that they maintain wages/undertake new investments), b) set up a new division in the Commerce Department to speed up federal construction projects (infrastructure, Rachel Maddow), c) pushed through a temporary tax reduction, d) worked with Congress to increase, by 400 million (probably a lot of money for back then), public works expenditures (yes, Rachel Maddow, MORE infrastructure!), e) authorized the establishment of the Federal Farm Board (this, to make low interest loans and to purchase grain when prices were falling), f) advocated for and signed (bone-headedly, in the opinion of most economists) the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill, and g) established the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (the attempt being to stabilize the banking system).......................................................................................................Now, this isn't to say that what Mr. Hoover did was either a) effective and/or b) sufficient (conservatives tend to think that he did too much, liberals not enough). It's simply an attempt to show that even somebody as supposedly smart (not to mention, smarmy and self righteous) as Matthews probably shouldn't be casting dispersions by the trailer-load.

Revise and Dissent

To all of those who are now trying to say that the Afghan War is strictly a a Republican War (this, despite the fact that Democrats have consistently supported it, consistently referred to it as the "good war", and a Democratic President escalated it), here is yet another example of why you're totally full of doodoo. I was watching "Hardball" (a show that I used to like - back when it's host, Chris Matthews, WASN'T partisan) the other night and Chris Matthews had on that David Korn guy. The two of them were commiserating on just how badly former President Bush had screwed up our foreign policy (a point to which I actually agree) and Mr. Korn punctuated the discussion by saying that Mr. Bush should have "finished the job in Afghanistan". Yeah, that's right, FINISHED THE JOB IN AFGHANISTAN - not that we should have never gone into Afghanistan, not that the Afghan War was an illegal war....but that we should have FINISHED THE JOB IN AFGHANISTAN. Please, if anybody out there can prove to me that Mr. Korn's position on this is a minority one in the Democratic establishment, I would certainly love to hear about it.

Persuasive Evidence

So, "they're" saying now that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. Alright, fine. What about this scenario instead? Instead of the government mandating that an individual purchase a health insurance plan/policy, the government STRONGLY SUGGESTS that the individual purchase one. No, you don't have to buy health insurance (at a sliding scale of affordability, obviously), BUT, if you don't purchase a policy, then the government doesn't have to provide you with Medicaid AND a hospital isn't required to treat you. Yes, they certainly can if they choose to and a charity can also kick in but NOTHING in terms of a free lunch from the U.S. taxpayers. What do you say that we get together and call this plan the "individual suggestion"?

Note to Rachel Maddow 1

Hey, Rach. I saw your penetrating expose of Scott Brown the other night. Holy DAMN! I had no idea that that stupid asshole was so frigging knee-deep in Wall Street. And the fact that it's seemingly affecting his votes, too. Excellent job, Rachel. And, yes, I sincerely mean it this time..............................................................................................Of course, I could also ask you, where in the bluest blazes were you three years ago - you know, back when it was revealed that then Senator Obama, despite having only been in the Senate for four years, was #3 in terms of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac....and then voted to bail the miserable sons of bitches out? Yeah, huh?..........................................................................................And even now, for Christ - where in the hell are you on a lot of this other crap; Operation Fast and Furious, Solyndra (527 million dollars GONE), this whole bandwidth and GPS fiasco? I mean, what, you're just not as interested in digging for the "truth" when it involves the Democrats? That is certainly what it appears to be, bra..................................................................................................P.S. And, yes, I refer to women as bra, bro, dude, etc. CONSTANTLY. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you're a non bangin' hot, non lipstick lesbian. Nothing!

On Columbus

Christopher Columbus was a product of his time, just like Thomas Jefferson was a product of HIS time, just like Abraham Lincoln was a product of HIS time. To judge the man strictly according to today's sensibilities/moral yardstick is probably a wee-bit unfair. I mean, if you're going to call him evil, then you're probably going to have to call pretty much every fifteenth century European nobleman (or wannabe) evil, too...................................................................................................And, no, it wasn't just a white European thing, either. The Islamic empire was all about subjugating people, too (Spain, Palestine, etc.). Add to that the fact that Genghis Khan frigging pillaged and plundered, the fact that Native-Americans themselves waged one bloody conflict after another.....................................................................................................Now, is this in any way an attempt to justify such wanton cruelty, enslavement, or whatever? No, of course not. Mankind HAS BEEN and, in many ways, continues to be a bitch. I'm only attempting here to put forth a little bit of a perspective. And, besides, if it wasn't for individuals such as Columbus, we'd probably all be scrounging for scraps in some European ghetto (this, while the Native-Americans were being conquered by somebody else) - birching and moaning about that.

A Little Bit of Knowledge is an Idiotic Thing

This is an excerpt from Felipe Fernandez-Aemesto's highly acclaimed biography of Christopher Columbus. Please, read it and tell me if it could also and readily be applied to a fair number of tea partiers and progressives out there. I pull it from chapter one and it states quite succinctly, "It is therefore not surprising that Columbus's mind suffered all the defects that a guideless and random absorption of knowledge can impart, like a ship at large upon a starless ocean. He had read extensively but not critically and acquired a mass of information but was never able to dispose of it to his best advantage. He would leap to bizarre conclusions on the flimsiest of evidence, which a more balanced preparation might have taught him to eschew. He selected his reading matter not intellectually but obsessively, reading only what related to his own favorite theories, rejecting or distorting whatever failed to support his prejudices."............So, what do you think? It sure as hell sounds like the tea partiers and progressives to me.

Justine Henin's One-Handed Backhand

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what, in your opinion, is the most beautiful shot in the history of modern tennis?"

Miscellaneous 98

1) One of the businesses that got a waiver from the President's health care bill is this swanky restaurant in San Francisco called Boboquivari's. To give you an idea of just HOW swanky, if you want to order a porterhouse steak there, you had better bring some dinero with you; $59 (plus a sizable tip, obviously), to be exact. The obvious questions here are....a) Couldn't the proprietors of this place use some of these "proceeds" to purchase decent health insurance for their employees? And b) how in the bluest blazes did they ever get a frigging waiver to begin with?...President Obama?............2) While, yes, I understand that it probably isn't feasible to have everybody up on that debate stage who wants to be there (yes, I'm talking about the Republican Presidential debates), I'm still kind of disappointed that (Gary) Johnson and (Fred) Karger have apparently gotten blackballed. I mean, come on here, folks, these are two of the more interesting candidates. Karger is a moderate who not only admits to being a moderate, he's actually proud of it (that, and he's the first openly gay American to ever run for President) and Johnson is a libertarian whose positions on a whole host of issues are exceedingly interesting (not to mention unorthodox in Republican circles); his views, specifically, on drug legalization, immigration, foreign policy, abortion, etc.. To not have fellows like these on the program does nothing but reinforce the notion that the Republicans are a monolithic group . But, hey, who in the hell am I to say, right?............3) I heard a great description of Rocky and Bullwinkle the other evening. Somebody referred to this pair as "a couple of fellows, one sightly smarter than the other but neither one of 'em rocket scientists." That pretty much encompasses it, no?

Note to Georgia Tech Football Coach Paul Johnson

Look, dude, I'll admit it. You know more about football than this fellow ever will. But I do know one thing that the great Paul Johnson seems to have forgotten. Can you say, "put the ball into the hands of your very best player and do it frequently"? I mean, come on, man!! Not only is Orwin Smith the best player on YOUR team, he's one of the truly best players IN THE NATION. Happen not to believe me? Hm, try looking at the frigging stats, bra. Last year, Mr. Smith averaged 9.7 yards a carry and 16.3 yards a catch - an eye-popping 10.9 yards every time that he touched the damned football. And so far this year, it's even frigging BETTER; an even MORE eye-popping 16.1 yards a carry and 21.5 yards a catch. I mean, I know that I'm not exactly a rocket scientist and all, but, come on, you gotta think that this fellow deserves more than 5-6 touches a ball-game. NO?

It Makes "South Park" Seem Like Hanna Barbera

What would be my answer to the question, "So, what's your opinion of that animated show on Fox called 'American Dad'?"

Note to the Republicans 1

I can see myself voting for a Howard Baker over President Obama. I can see myself voting for a Nelson Rockefeller over President Obama. I can see myself voting for a Gerry Ford over President Obama. I can even see myself voting for a George H.W. Bush or a Robert Dole over President Obama. But this Rick Perry character from Texas - I ain't voting for him. I don't care if the unemployment rate is 30%! We just cannot have an individual THAT ignorant as the leader of the free world. PERIOD!

What in the Hell are You, Dude; A Physician or a Frigging Dope Dealer?

What would be my answer to the question, "So, if you could ask Dr. Conrad Murray (the late Michael Jackson's personal physician and the dude who gave him that allegedly lethal dose of Propofol) one question, what would that one question be?"

Note to Rick Sanchez 1 (And Likely the Last)

Dude, you're not a minority. You're a Caucasian-American of Cuban extraction with zero in terms of an accent. If you changed your name to Sveinung Lomborg, we'd think that your were Danish. I mean, I'm not exactly sure what your schtik is here, but these feelings of oppression of yours have literally gone beyond bizarre. In fact, Rick, you just might want to have 'em, as my "friend" Mr. O'reilly calls it, taze you again, bro.

Do as I Lied, Not as I Did

If a Republican politician a) had had a sexual affair with a Fannie Mae official, b) had made a litany of abjectly idiotic statements in the years 2003, 2004, and 2005, and c) lied (TWICE, at least twice) in the years 2009 and 2010 about having never made those clumsy statements, the institutional left would have hung this individual IN EFFIGY. BUT, because it's Congressman Barney Frank who perpetrated all of these highly questionable actions, crickets....Is it any wonder why the citizenry is so overwhelmingly sick of such partisan politics/bullshit?

No Shrinking

I wanted so much to not like Dr. Drew. I mean, just the very concept of these television shrinks and their advising people over the phone and in the audience, I was never really a big fan of that, period. Add to that, folks, the fact that this same Dr. Drew has also been involved in a reality show entitled, "Celebrity Rehab" (which, yes, I'll admit to having glanced at several times) - a show, quite frankly, that is totally exploitative (that poor old Jeff Conaway dudester) - and, yeah, the cards were pretty much stacked against this fellow..............................................................................................But I gotta admit it to you. I've seen his new interview show on HLN and he's really not that bad of a guy. a) He's smart (accessibly so). b) He's affable. And c) he's a better than average interviewer, to boot. Of course, the fact that he's on at the same time as the excruciatingly unwatchable pair of Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow probably doesn't hurt the matter (Raskolnikov would probably seem sane and reasonable compared to those two bald lunatics) - the theory of cable-news relativity, I'm saying.

Miscellaneous 97

1) For those of you who persist in saying that the housing/financial crisis was strictly a Republican foul-up............. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4A0RuXhnQA.............2) For those of you who continue to take as gospel everything that Barney Frank mutters............. ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdi6QUDnCN4.............3) Just for the record, people starve to death from Communist governments, too. Just take a look at what happened during Chairman Mao's brutal tenure in China. MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of people starved to death as the result of his idiotic policies. And even today in North Korea, for Christ. Maybe we can all just call a spade a spade on this one and mosey on.............4) After he lies on CNN, Mr. Frank goes on over CNBC and lies AGAIN.............http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRVIeCYAJFk&NR=1.............5) Congresspersons Waters and Meeks - proof-positive that person can be both black AND stupid; "Under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Franklin Raines."

Somebody, But Not Just Anybody, Grab a Mop!

I just thought of another good union story. I was subbing at this facility, right, and one of the residents there spilt a cup of soda on the floor. "That's no biggie", I thought. But when I went to get a towel to clean it up, one of the other therapy people came up to me and said, "No, we have to call housekeeping. The union says that only housekeeping can do cleanups."................................................................................................I mean, can you frigging believe that shit? What kind of an idiotic way to run a facility is that? We learn all through our education the importance of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to service delivery and this frigging union cabal tells me that I can't even clean up a God damned spill. Unbefrigginglievable.....................................................................................................P.S. And just in a general sense here, businesses in this ever-increasingly competitive world HAVE TO BE nimble, adaptable, etc.. They simply cannot get bogged down in all of this trivial shit.......................................................................................................Look, folks, I'm not saying that there isn't a place for unions. They may be good for representing people who've been falsely terminated, making work environments safer, and maybe, MAYBE, securing a better wage. But when they go into a facility and try to tell a businessperson how to run his or her business, they really and truly need to take a powder from that ASAP.

Recommendation 1

So, are you in the mood for some good old-fashioned ass-kickin' rockin' blues? If in fact you are, people, you just might want to check out "Ten Days in November" by Sue Foley. While the gal isn't as versatile or have the perfect pitch of a Bonnie Raitt/Jennifer Warnes, she's a lot less commercial and, man, can this chick ever play a mean guitar (it drips with juicy passion, as "Downbeat" has recently stated). And, while, yes, all of her albums are exceptionally good, "Ten Days in November" continues to be finest, IMHO. Do yourself a favor and sample it over at Amazon. You're likely not to be disappointed.

These Guys Are SO Far Left, They Make 1960s College Professors Seem Like the John Birch Society

What would be my answer to the question, "So, just how far left IS this new crop of progressive bloggers?"

Whe the Side-Show Becomes the Main Act

One advantage that the Democrats seem to have over the Republicans these days is an ability to control their "crazies". While the Republican Party seems to continuously get hijacked by elements such as the moral majority, the neocons, the tea party, etc., the Democrats seem to far more marginalize their crazies; the Dennis Kuciniches, the Bernie Sanderses, the Markos Moulitsises, Keith Olbermanns, Rachel Maddows, wds of the world (compare their pitiful influence with that of Mr. Limbaugh - very few, if any, Republicans EVER stand up to that stumblebum). In fact, folks, that's precisely why, if I ever did have to join a political party, it would be the Democratic party and not the Republican party; the fact that they're far better able to synthesize the moderates amongst them.

The Paul Krugman/Might Mouse Theme Song

Here they are, folks, Mr. Krugman's OWN WORDS............."To fight this recession the Fed needs more than a snapback; it needs soaring household spending to offset moribund business investment. AND TO DO THAT (my emphasis), as Paul McCulley of Pimco put it, ALAN GREENSPAN NEEDS TO CREATE A HOUSING BUBBLE TO REPLACE THE NASDAQ BUBBLE."............I mean, I suppose that we could give the guy the benefit of the doubt and all; that the fellow was more analyzing than commentating. But a) the text doesn't seem to indicate this possibility (nowhere does he say that this is a bad idea) and b) it fits quite neatly into Mr. Krugman's procrastination/kick the can down the road/one big massive, expensive, intrusive government intervention after another system of economics. I mean, seriously, the guy does seem to think that he knows how the economy should run better than the rest of us - the economy itself included!

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Bird Shit!

The Obama justice department has instructed its attorneys in North Dakota to file criminal charges against 7 oil companies. The complaint - 28 migratory birds have landed in their oil pits over a 45 day period. The problem, folks, is that many multiples of that number of birds die ALL THE TIME in windmills and no charges have ever been brought against this industry. Hey, I want green energy as much as the guy but a blatant double-standard this humongous is way outrageous. And, besides, maybe we should just stop harassing businesses over piddly stuff like this, in general, and let them go about the business of DOING their business. Just a frigging thought.

The Roosterpecked Candidate

During the last Republican Presidential debate, Byron York of the Washington Examiner asked Congresswoman Bachmann, "So, as President of the United States, will you continue to 'submit' to your husband (Bachmann had once said that she didn't want to study tax law but did so because her husband had told her to do so - and that it was her duty to submit to him)?" It was a totally legitimate question, in my opinion. But the people in the audience (may of them Bachmann enthusiasts, no doubt) booed Mr. York. They evidently thought that it was a gotcha tupe question strictly meant to embarrass the insurgent candidate/tea party favorite................................................................................................As for Mrs. Bachmann's response to the question, being that I can't exactly remember what it was that she said, couldn't have been all that eventful/cogent. I seem to recall an initial "deer in the headlights" type of look and then some absurd redefinition of terms but that's about it...................................................................................................Look, folks, I've made numerous references to the stupidity of the American public. And I'll continue to stand by these proclamations. But I don't think that we'd ever be stupid enough to elect this woman. I mean, yeah, Obama lacks competence at times. But at least the dude is a) bright and b) reasonable (he's shown a willingness to compromise, for instance). Bachmann - no and definitely no.

OOPS

Companies can make a profit in only one of two ways; either through customers or through investors. And, so, ergo, when taxes on businesses and corporations go higher, it is either the customer or the investor (i.e., the shareholder) who end up paying the burden. On the customer side, it manifests in higher prices and on the investor end, it manifests in lower stock prices and equity.............................................................................................Of course the latter scenario is no big deal, correct? I mean, it is, after all, only the rich people who are invested in the market, no? Well, no, not really. While the progressives are quick to point out (accurately in fact) that the bottom 90% of wage-earners in this country own only 19% of stock and mutual fund equity, they also leave something very important out. They leave out the fact that this same 90% also own 41% of pension value and 45% of whole-life insurance value - both of which are heavily invested in the market..............................................................................................The bottom-line, folks. When you raise (or keep high) the corporate tax rate, yeah, you might be nailing those miserable executives and managers that we all seem to despise these days, but your also hurting a lot of teachers, firemen, policemen, and many small business owners, too (collateral damage perhaps we should call it). The question is, is it worth it? I don't know. I would personally like to see the corporate income tax go away and instead raise the top individual rate back to 40% and do away with the special consideration for capital gains. That way, folks, we could have a) a truly progressive tax policy and b) a business climate in which businesses can actually focus on, you know, business!........................................................................................................P.S. If the question is whether to nix the corporate income tax without the stipulations that I've proffered , that's a much more difficult question. While I clearly have reservations about this form of taxation, it does in fact bring in 3-400 billion a year. Whether the increased economic activity that could possibly result from doing away with the corporate tax would make up for this loss in revenue, I'd have to ask somebody smarter than me. I suspect that I would want my proposal to pass in its entirety.

The Densesness of Progressivity

Under the present system of taxation, people like Warren Buffett pay a 15% tax rate on significant portions of their income. Under my tax system/proposal, these same individuals would pay a 40% rate on ALL of their income. Any damned body who sees this FACT and still says that I am a pro-rich individual has to be either one of two things, people. They either have to be stupid or delusional (I guess that they could be both and that would constitute a third possibility). I mean, I hate to be so God damned blunt about it but it is what it is, for Christ.

Miscellaneous 96

1) The progressives' solution to high unemployment - removes huge numbers of people from the labor force and pay them to stay home. Hm, yeah, that could work.............2) And, really, if having people retire at age 55 (and proceed to suck off the public teet for some 20-30 years, procuring much more in benefits than they ever put in in contributions) is such an awesome idea, then wouldn't having them retire at age 54 be even better? And 53 even better than that? What about 45? I mean, seriously, why don't we just go for the jugular and be done with it here?............3) Take 2 X amounts of money and invest one of them in Social Security for 45 years and the other in a no-load low to medium risk mutual fund for 45 years. I can guarantee you that you'd do significantly better with the latter. I mean, even if the country goes to hell, I would still put far more trust the private sector than a bunch of lard between the ears bureaucratic stumblebums in Washington.............4) The progressive vision for America; tax businesses to the point where they leave the country AND THEN put stiff tariffs on them so they can't sell their products here. The end-result; a bunch of mom and pop stores that sell a bunch of overpriced crap and a humongous, knuckle-dragging, repressive central government that can't even get out of its own damned way. I'm telling you, folks, if this collectivist (to the nth) crowd ever does take over, there WILL be an insurrection and, no, it won't be at all pretty. Pass me the ativan and gin, please.