Rich

Worrying About the Election Part 1

Like  most of you I am following the presidential primary campaign. After the disaster's Presidency of George W. Bush we truly need our next leader to competent and less corrupt. Unfortunately our choices are very limited. The Major party candidates all have flaws some larger than others. As an independent voter though I do lean to the left, I try to look at all candidates on both sides and try to find one that I feel would best help the country and the world at large.

So let me start with my picks so far. First I looked at all the Republican candidates and just the thought of any of these people in charge for the next four years just makes me throw up in my mouth.  So I'll quickly wash out my mouth and proceeded over to the list of Democrats. This list was a lot easier to digest but Hillary and Edwards still gives me a sort of queasy and uneasy feeling. I would have felt alright with Biden, Richardson or Dodd, very capable but less then inspiring candidates, but since they had already dropped out of the race that point has become moot. So that just kind of left me with a choice between Obama and Kucinich. I like Obama, He's very charismatic, seems sincere in his beliefs and I wouldn't feel that bad if I had to vote for him. The candidate that I really feel would be the best President and leader is Dennis Kucinich. His views and vision for the more align with what I would like to see happen to our country. The sad part is that the main stream media have gone overboard to deny him even a voice in the debate.

Last week NBC went all the way to the Nevada Supreme court just so they could exclude him from the Nevada Democratic debate they were sponsoring. They thought that the public would be better off served with only Clinton, Obama and Edwards yelling at each other than having a voice speaking out for the greater need of the country.

Even when he was in previous debates they powers that be stacked the deck and virtually ignored everyone else but their anointed front runners. From the very beginning Clinton, Obama and Edwards have gotten 80 to 90% of all questions and almost all of the allotted time while the others had to shout just to have a chance to get their points across. Once the field has been narrowed with the start of the early primary season they decided to stop the charade and only invite candidates who are safe enough for corporate America. So Kucinich on the Democratic side and Ron Paul on the Republican side have been written off by the powers that be despite their support and idea's on making this a better country.

As I was writing this piece the news came on to announce that Kucinich had withdrawn from the race. Great, one less good choice, I am left with only Obama to vote for if I choose to vote in the primary. I have a bad feeling that our choices come this November will be McCain or Hillary. If that's the case I might vote for Hillary just to feel like a maybe I helped a little. I really don't have too much confidence that the will of the voters will really count. We have had two straight very flawed Presidential elections (I would say that they both were stolen) It doesn't seem like much has been done to clean up or solve our voting problems. We still do not have uniform voting machines; voter intimation and suppression are still prevalent and Diebold machines with their paperless ballots that make stealing elections easy and untraceable. I'll get more into that in part 2.

More Freighting and False Political Fwd. Emails

Like most everyone I receive a lot of forward emails from people on my email list . Some are very informative, some are jokes or funny pictures others are like this one meant to frighten you into believe a certain point of view. Most of the time they are very easy to spot as fakes. The easiest thing is the spelling. If you notice all the key words that they think are important every letter in the word is CAPITALIZED. I guess that makes them feel that it lends for credence to them. I just think it makes the whole thing look idiotic.

The other telling sign is at the end when they implore you to forward it to everyone you know

If you get emails like this one and odds are you will get some during this election year, give it a read. It is always good to find out what B. S. Some people swallow whole and to confront the people who sent you these types of emails.

Also if you suspect something not to be on the up and up check out snopes.com they are pretty source on rooting out urban legends.

I would like to thank my friend Linc for sending this to me. It was forwarded to him by some right wing nut.

(This is the whole email. I didn't change a thing,I even left in all the misspelled words)

   

A must read Barrack Abama

   

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born

in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM

from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from

Wichita, Kansas.

Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two

years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His

mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.?

When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocate to Indonesia. Obama

attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a

Catholic school.

   

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is

qui ck to point out that, 'He was once a Muslim, but that he also

attended Catholic school.'

   

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that

that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this

influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned

to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct

influence over his son's education.

   

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham,

introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school

in Jakarta.

   

Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim

terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since

it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major

public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined

the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim

background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he

DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

   

Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor

will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands

over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches.

   

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential

candidacy.

   

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside

out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the

President of the United States, one of their own!!!!

   

Make a factual choice - not one based on the famous person that is

campaigning for him.

   

   

Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading

our country?...... NOT ME!!!

Before you email this out or if you get this email check this link that debunks this whole anti Obama email

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Welcome to 2008

First of all I would like to start off this blog to wish everyone a very healthy, happy and peaceful 2008. I hope the year is kind to all my readers and a course everyone else.

2008 is a big election year here in the good ol' U.S. of A. We will be voting in November for a new President to replace on of our worst and most corrupt leader ever George W.Bush.

Below is a recent email I received from one of my right wing Republican friends. I receive a bunch of like minded emails during election season. I just don't understand why they think this helps sway me into thinking that that maybe I should change my moderate view points and embrace their narrow-minded position

Read this for yourself and then read my further comments at the end.

The Parable of the Ant and the Grasshopper

TRADITIONAL VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his

House and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks

the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his

house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks

the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and

demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the

shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable

home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp

contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody

cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where

the news stations film the group singing, "We Shall Overcome." Jesse

then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with

Larry King that the ant has become rich off the back of the

grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act

retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of

green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets the Rose Law Firm to represent the grasshopper in a

defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel

of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of

single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of

the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens

to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the

house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2008.

 

Wow! What a story that was, don't you feel sorry for that hard working Ant. Those evil Democratic, Left-wing Liberals really have it in for the hard working people and are willing to screw them just because they are doing everything right.

Don't vote for them because you could end up like that poor Ant and lose everything you worked so hard for to that lazy good for nothing Grasshopper.

If you are a big fan of Rush Limbaugh and Fox news you probably are to far gone to even think that this modern version of the Ant & the Grasshopper parable is a total joke and tries to use the worst stereotypes and racist overtones it turns this version into one very, bad analogy.

It some people didn't take this to heart it would be so laughable. Whoever wrote this "modern version" really threw the whole kitchen sink of supposedly evil democrats at us in their story.

You have, Jesse Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry (I guess they just inserted him in for Ted Kennedy) and Harry Reid. Then for good measure they add all the major news stations except Fox News probably because they are so far and balanced. Throw in some celebrities like Oprah, Larry King and that ultra lefty Kermit the frog then just for icing on top of the pile of crap you add the Rose Law firm (Hillary gets name mentioned here) Single parent welfare recipients and "activist judges but only those appointed by Bill Clinton. Then they conclude that the moral of the story is" be careful how you vote in 2008."

If you are convinced by that story and you think things have been great these past seven and half years under the presidency of George W. Bush I have no hope for you. You will go along believing crap like this, blaming who ever they tell you is evil, anti American or is against the position of the most powerful because that is what you want to believe. If you choose to be stupid and ignorant you get my pity but never get any of my respect.

This long election season is in full swing. Hopefully the candidate with the best idea's, compassion and trust will win. We need desperately to fix and improve our nation. Our Country, economy and our trust in humanity is unraveling before our very eyes.

The filthy rich are the only ones who doing well in Bush's failing economy .They are the only ones receiving large Tax-Cuts while the middle-class and poor are pitted against each other. We need compressive health care reform. Where the profit is taken out and the health of the patient is the only thing that matters. We need to rebuild our creditability with our allies and try to understand our enemies so we can try to find a peaceful solution out the current mess we are in. Also we need to get everyone aboard to save and develop wind, solar, and electric energy. I think passing a windfall profit tax on the oil companies to help pay for this change over would help. Maybe we could also use some of the massive money we waste on stupid wars and invest in public education. We could hire more teachers, pay them a better wage and let them teach innovated methods to keep kids interested and involved in learning.

Let's make college affordable for everyone who wants to go. If people are well educated maybe I wouldn't receive these types of emails