Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Conspiracies
People across the Middle East continue to believe that America attacked itself. By propping up dictators that are pathological liars, what else should Americans expect Arabs to think?
Just sent this rant in an e-mail...
...and I thought it deserved to be torn apart by TSFR (the smoke filled room). Here goes:
Don't buy into these delusions that the world will like us if Obama gets elected. They'll like us for a month, then Obama will make some decision that implies America is better than the rest of the world (for example, we'll refuse, as usual, to sign up for the International Criminal Court) and everyone will go back to bashing us. Muslim middle name or not, America will continue to exploit the Middle East for its oil (we'll prop up corrupt and tyrannical regimes to maintain stability) and the "McDonaldification" of the world will continue apace. Couple this with Islam's inferiority complex – Allah told them that they are superior to the other "peoples of the book" and yet they've lagged behind Christian and East Asian civilizations ever since the fall of the Ottoman empire in 1918 – and you get a Muslim sense of shame and vulnerability. (Side note: Christians have an inferiority complex too, but we're doing well at the moment.) These are the primary reasons, along with our support for Israel, for why many Muslims don't like us. Electing Barack Obama changes nothing!
The moral of the story: vote for Obama if you want to pay lower taxes and you want the rich to pay higher ones; if you believe that it is up to the government to eliminate the appalling inequality in our country; if you don't like the idea of a 70-something and a "hockey mom" running our country; if you think that no matter the consequences, our troops must withdraw from Iraq. Don't vote Obama merely because you think the world will like or respect us.
With all that said, as of now I am voting McCain. Barack Obama is an exceptionally bright and articulate junior senator from Illinois. He is not ready to run our country. The man truly believes that everyone in the world can be made to get along. That is a mistaken and dangerous assumption. Without getting into cultural differences and how they influence world events, let me just say that people around the world don't necessarily think like we think. To Americans, it is perfectly ok that we dominate the world; we're nice and reasonable people. We'll bring you Coca Cola and Big Macs! The world is not so sure that American dominance is a good thing. Barack Obama says he can change that, but he can't! We will still be stealing Middle Eastern oil, we'll still prop up corrupt dictators, and we'll still pollute and insult non-Western cultures. For as long as the current power structure persists and American foreign policy stays the same, we will be resented and hated around the world.
Don't buy into these delusions that the world will like us if Obama gets elected. They'll like us for a month, then Obama will make some decision that implies America is better than the rest of the world (for example, we'll refuse, as usual, to sign up for the International Criminal Court) and everyone will go back to bashing us. Muslim middle name or not, America will continue to exploit the Middle East for its oil (we'll prop up corrupt and tyrannical regimes to maintain stability) and the "McDonaldification" of the world will continue apace. Couple this with Islam's inferiority complex – Allah told them that they are superior to the other "peoples of the book" and yet they've lagged behind Christian and East Asian civilizations ever since the fall of the Ottoman empire in 1918 – and you get a Muslim sense of shame and vulnerability. (Side note: Christians have an inferiority complex too, but we're doing well at the moment.) These are the primary reasons, along with our support for Israel, for why many Muslims don't like us. Electing Barack Obama changes nothing!
The moral of the story: vote for Obama if you want to pay lower taxes and you want the rich to pay higher ones; if you believe that it is up to the government to eliminate the appalling inequality in our country; if you don't like the idea of a 70-something and a "hockey mom" running our country; if you think that no matter the consequences, our troops must withdraw from Iraq. Don't vote Obama merely because you think the world will like or respect us.
With all that said, as of now I am voting McCain. Barack Obama is an exceptionally bright and articulate junior senator from Illinois. He is not ready to run our country. The man truly believes that everyone in the world can be made to get along. That is a mistaken and dangerous assumption. Without getting into cultural differences and how they influence world events, let me just say that people around the world don't necessarily think like we think. To Americans, it is perfectly ok that we dominate the world; we're nice and reasonable people. We'll bring you Coca Cola and Big Macs! The world is not so sure that American dominance is a good thing. Barack Obama says he can change that, but he can't! We will still be stealing Middle Eastern oil, we'll still prop up corrupt dictators, and we'll still pollute and insult non-Western cultures. For as long as the current power structure persists and American foreign policy stays the same, we will be resented and hated around the world.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Read the Damn Thing
This is what democrats have to fear... and it's not fear itself.
Obama is "elusive" to middle America (Ohio, Michigan, etc). McCain is the uncomplicated patriot. That's a no-brainer for many Americans, my friends.
Obama is "elusive" to middle America (Ohio, Michigan, etc). McCain is the uncomplicated patriot. That's a no-brainer for many Americans, my friends.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Read This Sensibly
Good, balanced story about the secrecy that surrounds Obama's campaign. I admit, Bush-Cheney were unprecedented in this respect, at least once they got to the White House, but we wouldn't want to repeat the mistake by electing another intriguer.
Money excerpt:
Money excerpt:
Walking the rows of media outlets at the Denver convention, I had no trouble finding reporters who complained the campaign was secretive and evasive. Ben Smith of Politico.com has written about Team Obama's "pattern of rarely volunteering information or documents, even when relatively innocuous." Politico asked months ago if Mr. Obama had ever written anything for the Harvard Law Review as a student. The Obama campaign responded narrowly, with a Clintonesque statement that "as the president of the Law Review, Obama didn't write articles, he edited and reviewed them." This month it turned out Mr. Obama had written an article -- but it was published a month before he became president.
Chasing the rest of Mr. Obama's paper trail is often an exercise in frustration. Mr. Obama says his state senate records "could have been thrown out" and he didn't keep a schedule in office. No one appears to have kept a copy of his application for the Illinois Bar. He has released only a single page of medical records, versus 1,000 pages for John McCain.
My God, Rhick, You're Right
Haven't read the Dowd piece yet - she's generally a bit heavy on the sarcasm for me. As for that sophomore (he's actually a senior) in college thing, I tracked down the story. He is known to his blog readers as Elephantman and his hobbies include Zionism and fighting socialism. My God. Read the story, it's hilarious. Also, Rhick, thank you for using the term preggers - you made my day.
Friday, August 29, 2008
brilliant conversation
Me: "Not to be blunt or anything, but she has a nice bust."
My Mom: (sarcastically) "And that's important in a leader!"
Did you see the clips of her in a tee shirt in Iraq?
Not bad.
My Mom: (sarcastically) "And that's important in a leader!"
Did you see the clips of her in a tee shirt in Iraq?
Not bad.
April Fools?
This seems like it must be some kind of a joke. How can John McCain criticize Obama's experience and knowledge when he has chosen someone with literally no experience? Mayor of a small Alaskan town? Beauty pageant winner? Self-proclaimed hockey mom? Biden will bury her in a debate. An undergrad minor in politics does not prepare you to lead the world's most powerful nation and she cannot possibly be in touch with American issues growing up in Alaska. I do not see how this could play out positively anywhere.
Grammar Issue In the Title Banner
"the need for some good discussion, has now"
Remove the comma in that excerpt. It does not belong there.
Remove the comma in that excerpt. It does not belong there.
Sarah Palin
From Marc Ambinder's blog:
A huge-attention-getting pick.
Talk about McCain the fighter pilot... McCain, whose hero is Teddy Roosevelt
The cable press is talking about the VP choice, not Obama's piece.
She's charismatic.
The potential appeal for women. (Although, in 1984 Reagan won 54% of the vote in Ferraro on the ticket. Identity voting has no history on the presidential race.)
She has some reformist creds, taking on her own party...
She's blunt and outspoken.
Joe Biden might want to modulate his tone against a woman.
Her husband works with his hands and races in snow.
Rush Limbaugh likes her.
She's not from Washington.
Con:
After spending six months trying to discredit Barack Obama's readiness to be commander in chief, McCain has chosen someone with even less experience. (She was a mayor of Wasila Alaska, which is smaller than Obama's state senate district.)
Palin has not been exposed to the rigors of national politics
Palin does not know McCain well.
She will be forced to bone up on everything and forced to debate Joe Biden.
The accusations that McCain chose her because she's a woman.
An ongoing ethics investigation (although she was punishing someone accused of domestic violence.)
Disagreements with McCain on some issues, including gay rights. (She opposes same-sex marriage too, though.)
Palin, Pro And Con
29 Aug 2008 10:55 am
Pro:A huge-attention-getting pick.
Talk about McCain the fighter pilot... McCain, whose hero is Teddy Roosevelt
The cable press is talking about the VP choice, not Obama's piece.
She's charismatic.
The potential appeal for women. (Although, in 1984 Reagan won 54% of the vote in Ferraro on the ticket. Identity voting has no history on the presidential race.)
She has some reformist creds, taking on her own party...
She's blunt and outspoken.
Joe Biden might want to modulate his tone against a woman.
Her husband works with his hands and races in snow.
Rush Limbaugh likes her.
She's not from Washington.
Con:
After spending six months trying to discredit Barack Obama's readiness to be commander in chief, McCain has chosen someone with even less experience. (She was a mayor of Wasila Alaska, which is smaller than Obama's state senate district.)
Palin has not been exposed to the rigors of national politics
Palin does not know McCain well.
She will be forced to bone up on everything and forced to debate Joe Biden.
The accusations that McCain chose her because she's a woman.
An ongoing ethics investigation (although she was punishing someone accused of domestic violence.)
Disagreements with McCain on some issues, including gay rights. (She opposes same-sex marriage too, though.)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Biden and Obama
In response to Cullen's email regarding Biden's plagiarism, I think that what is more objectionable about Biden is that his grades were so bad in College and Law School. He was a C student in college and graduated at the bottom of his class in Law School. Is that someone that we want as VP or P? Especially since our current president did not do to well in college either. That being said, I think he fills the role of VP very well and I don't buy all the talk of likelihood of Obama being assassinated.
In regards to his speech tonight, I think it was stellar on all counts. Responded to all the criticisms of him regarding his celebrity status, lack of substance, lack of experience and readiness, and capability to command. He especially managed to invoke his "new kind of politics" rhetoric by emphasizing that this election should not be about cheap character attacks over patriotism. Kerry lost largely for that reason and Obama is prudent to try to preempt swiftboating by Republicans.
Cheers
In regards to his speech tonight, I think it was stellar on all counts. Responded to all the criticisms of him regarding his celebrity status, lack of substance, lack of experience and readiness, and capability to command. He especially managed to invoke his "new kind of politics" rhetoric by emphasizing that this election should not be about cheap character attacks over patriotism. Kerry lost largely for that reason and Obama is prudent to try to preempt swiftboating by Republicans.
Cheers
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