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SIMS : ROCKS ARE FREE, AND SLINGSHOTS EASILY STOLEN.
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Monday, August 01, 2011
A Defining Moment

I was watching The Office on television, when a commercial came on for an upcoming episode of The 700 Club. I began vigorously rolling my eyes, but before they completely dislodged themselves from their sockets, I couldn't help but notice that the upcoming episode was going to be about 9/11.

"Damn," I thought, "it's coming up on ten years."

Before I could slip into a proper state of melancholy, I heard the voiceover guy read that the attacks were "a defining moment for the US." That jolted me out of my Atheist's Prayer For The Death of Pat Robertson, and got me thinking.

Were the attacks ten years ago a defining moment for the United States? I honestly don't think so.

I think of defining moments in terms of the Civil War, the signing of The Declaration of Independence, or the moon landing in 1969. Events where the nation looked down the road into the future, asked itself whether or not it was up to the task of becoming more than it was, and then began the hard work of making it happen.

9/11? With no disrespect to the dead and their families, I don't feel like it measures up in terms of what it had to necessarily mean to America.

The closest comparison would be Pearl Harbor. When Japan attacked Hawaii, FDR declared that we were no longer sitting on the sidelines, it was time for the US to stop being a provincial backwater, and to either assume its destiny as a world leader, or perish in the attempt. My reading of history tells me that Roosevelt was a great leader at a time we needed one. But even without that, Americans knew what was going to be necessary, that the cost would be appalling, and your grandparents and great-grandparents created the arsenal of democracy, and began giving their lives by the thousands in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Pearl Harbor was not a defining moment. The selfless response of an entire nation was the defining moment. There was no other choice to be made.

In the case of 9/11, the attacks were not a defining moment. Instead, we stared at the moment, had a collective freakout, looked to the president for leadership, were told to go shopping, and just went downhill from there. And this isn't even about Bush, I'm pretty sure any of the weasels in office from LBJ on would have blown it.

This country has chosen to be defined by 9/11, instead of the event choosing our destiny for us.

We are now victims. We aren't simply the wronged, out for focused payback, we are a gigantic angry infant, lashing out at anyone and everyone who doesn't worship art the altar of American exceptionalism. Muslims? Europeans? Chinese? They're all against us, probably socialist, and definitely not Christian! We have been attacked (for some reason!), and it was because they hate our freedom, our iPods and our Jesus.

We had choices on September 12th, 2001. We could have taken effective, highly focused military action in specific places. We could have tried to act like adults who live in a scary world, and sorted out what the best short and long-term responses would have been. There were choices that could have been made that would have made the country and the world a better place for the next hundred years.

Alas, no.

I don't think 9/11 was a defining moment. It did not make plain for us what to do next. No, 9/11 was an illuminating moment, one which shined a harsh light on how truly small we have become since World War II. Walt Kelly called it 40 years ago:

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posted at 8:37 PM

0 comments

Saturday, September 25, 2010
I am concerned

Concerned, as a matter of fact, that we, as a country, may be fucked.

The economy is still very rough for a lot of people, we're mired in a couple of very costly wars, oil rigs are tipping over and exploding, and I can't think of a snappy way to end this sentence.

In the past, when I felt a little down about the state of things, I'd take a step back from it all, remind myself that this country has been in rougher spots, and we always managed to tighten the belts, pull together, and do what was necessary to stop the ship of state from sinking. We'd emerge stronger, wiser, and the next generation would be on its way to doing better than the current one.

Not this time. I can't see it happening. Why? There are a lot of reasons.

First of all, I think we have a fascism problem that needs to be addressed. Some of you are probably smirking in a knowing fashion. "A-ha! He sees Obama for what he really is!"

Sort of. You're right, but for the wrong reason.

Fascism is not when men in garish uniforms stand at podiums demanding racial purity or national superiority. Fascism is much more an economic theory than a political one. Essentially, when the government and corporations collude to determine national policy, that's Fascism. Corporatism would do equally well as a description.

So, when you cry that Obama is a Fascist, it's because you think he's coming after your guns and Christianity. He isn't. If the president has Fascist leanings and policies, and he does, you should at least be somehow content that it's only because he is allowing corporations to write law and policy at the federal level, whether they are good for the citizens of the United States or not.

So, stop calling Obama a Fascist, unless you're actually concerned about the creeping corporatocracy that is ruining the country.

But ignorance of the meaning of the word brings me to another equally large problem that makes me think we're going to have a tough go bouncing back this time: We are getting dumber by the year.

We may live in the information age, but most people only want the information that jibes with what they already believe. The world is only 6000 years old? Of course it is, hundreds of websites and my pastor say so! You can cut taxes and reduce deficits? I've found an entire cable news channel and one-and-a-half major political parties in the US who insist it's so! Evolution is a myth? Damn straight, otherwise monkeys would have human babies, right?

Check and mate.

I can almost live with the willful ignorance. I mean, people are taught a lot of really dumb things as children, and bad wiring is tough to rip out once that house is built. If you were taught that the Bible is a literal record, there's always the possibility that you may, upon reaching maturity, understand that they are loosely historically-based fables. Many have good morals, some have really bad ones, and you can still manage to believe in your deity without worrying too much about whether to eat shellfish, or selling your daughter into slavery.

We're past willful. We've moved on to prideful ignorance.

These are the people who will stick their fingers in their ears, screaming how climate change is a myth, even as reams of data rolls in about the continuing streak of hottest years on record. You show them fossils, they trot out Genesis and stories of how dinosaur bones were put in the ground by Satan to fool us. What great things can you hope to accomplish with dependence on people like this?

So, we're ignorant, and dumber. What else? Lazy.

Now, I don't think it's so much a lack of work ethic. People in this country work hard, many because they take real pride in doing good work and earning their pay, although more do it because they're afraid if they don't crush it every second, they'll find their asses fired.

Our problem is that a lot of us want to believe that there is a magic bullet to solve our problems. Crumbling infrastructure? Someone will fix that, the free market, most likely. We're fat, so instead of eating better and exercising, we wait around for science to invent a pill that will allow us to do whatever we want and stay thin, and erect for more than 15 minutes, but less than four hours.

I don't believe we have the will to pull together and achieve anything important anymore. Could this country, as it exists today, build the Interstate Highway System, electrify Appalachia, the South and West, or send a man to the moon? How could we hope to manage them, when everyone is so insistent that things be done the way they want, common good be damned?

Which brings us to intolerance.

We've actually spent a good hunk of the summer arguing about whether or not American citizens with spotless criminal records should have the right to build a community center on a city zoning-approved site they own, two blocks from where some radical religious assholes knocked down buildings nine years ago.

THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The First Amendment is very clear about this. The government doesn't get to decide how or where you pray. A local government can pass restrictions about types of construction allowed, and usage of areas of land, but if you pass muster on the zoning, you get to have your prayer shack.

Why isn't anyone getting in the ass of the greedy capitalist that sold "sacred ground" (near the strip club), to these awful weirdos, who, let me remind you, had nothing to do with any terrorist attacks on American soil, or anyplace else?

"Well, turning a profit on real estate is as American as apple pie."

And so it is. A corporation made money on the sale, investors were enriched, and the wheel keeps turning, greased in the same manner we all understand.

Greased, not with the tens of millions of gallons of oil that flowed into the Gulf, while government stood by impotently, as BP was allowed to control beach access and the airspace over the disaster, because they've got more flex than any government agency. The feds couldn't stop it, and it turned out that the almighty corporation didn't have a plan for such a contingency, either.

No plan for trouble was needed. The government trusted the corporation to do the right thing. And BP will deliver on that promise, larger profits when all of this blows over.

Which will be sooner rather than later.

This country lacks the will to achieve anything much greater than finding a more comfortable way to watch television. It will be built in China, and it will be paid for with a credit card.

There are still things to be thankful for, of course. I am mostly thankful that I won't be alive in a hundred years to see how bad it gets.

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posted at 11:57 PM

2 comments

Saturday, January 30, 2010
I wish I knew why I bothered.

I don't know why I talk to people, I really don't. The following is the result of something I saw on Facebook:

Jacqueline: Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and repost this.

Kevin: You can thank mr obama for that. I'm right with u on that, but I wouldn't say were the only country like that. We r actually way better off than most countries. Shame on obama, not america.. Lol
January 25 at 3:55pm

sims: Because no one was ever homeless before January 20th, 2009.

Add "lol" to that, if it'll help.
January 25 at 4:01pm

Ryan: Thank Obama???? Keep listening to Fox news...

Audra: hey girlie girl, i couldnt agree more! charity begins at home. and to add injury to insult, the italians are saying our relief efforts over there are all mere attempts at notoriety. whatsmore, the day when devastation hits this nation, you can bet we'll have to fend for ourselves without relief from any one else!

sims: Well, we are the richest country in the world. I wouldn't expect Haiti to offer their limited resources to attempt to help us.

But for the record, lots of countries offered to help us after Katrina, including Cuba, which isn't exactly a rich country.
January 25 at 5:30pm

Kevin: Come on ryan, u can't possibly think this asshole is a qualified prez. Lol. He's so ass backward. And I'd rather listen to fox news than george clooney, whoopi goldberg, or any other self proclaimed actors turned politicians. Check ur facts son. Still love ya tho! Lol

sims: Let's see...He's over 35, a natural-born citizen of the US. Yeah, actually, he is qualified. You probably think that being white is a requirement, but it's not.

And do define "ass-backward," would you please? Or just keep posting LOLZ!!1!!!111
January 25 at 7:31pm

Kevin: I posted my opinion like everyone else and u get personal? Wow. If I had to explain why he's ass backward it would take me all day. But no, no because he's not white, because he for one was a senator. Senators have half as much responsibility as governers. as a senator he voted present indtead of yes or no on more than half the bills voted on in his time as senator. Don't u want a decision maker in office? He makes people rely on the government and not giving them the tools to rely on themselves. That's dictatorship not democracy. When counrty is in debt, u don't spend more money to get out of it. That's economics 101 buddy. The reason I wrote lol was to keep the mood light, but if wanna get personal, come meet up with me sometime and c how far that gets you! I guess liberals r the only ones allowed to have an opinion.
January 25 at 7:54pm

sims: Well, I think referring to a person far more educated than either of us could ever dream of being as "ass-backward" is somewhat personal. But, point taken.

Voting "present" in the Illinois Senate is a common tactic, and essentially counts as a no vote. In may of said votes, he was acting in concert with other members of his own party as part of a strategy. You know, like voting no on everything, regardless of what it is.

Was Bush also a dictator, for taking a huge surplus, wrecking it, invading Iraq, and then running up the largest deficits in history while cutting taxes to the wealthiest 1%? He was an MBA, but maybe he skipped Economics 101, because he was so goldarned smart.

Have your opinion, you're entitled to it. It'd be nice if you weren't so...emotional.
January 25 at 8:14pm

Kevin: Alright, I hear ur points. Wasn't gettin emotional, I just don't kno u and it seemed like u were the one gettin emotional. But that's what makes america great, were all entitled to our opinions. I have mine, u have urs. Done talkin about it on someone elses post. Wasn't tryin to make a big deal about it.
January 25 at 9:45pm

Just one last comment here and I'm done. Ass backward doesn't mean dumb. It means that his beliefs in my opinion don't make sense... And a degree or education doesn't make u "smart" anyway. Anyone really smart would know that. When u try to give rights to criminals and terrorists and then take away the rights of an innocent unborn, yet living thing, that's what I mean by assbackwards. Not just obama, the whole liberal way of thinking is ass backward to me. I can honestly go toe to toe with u on politics and talk a lot more about it, I'm not just some idiot. I love america, those who don't shouldn't live here. But to end this back and forth, I don't care about u enuf to even explain anything further. Its politics, shouldn't b so personal dude.
January 25 at 11:11pm

Then I get a message.

Kevin: Jan 28 at 7:08am Report
So, I know I don't know you, and I kno I got a little too personal with u on jaquelin's post. I obviously feel very different than u but at least u sound like u do research and don't just talk out ur ass like most liberals I kno. The only reason I'm taking the time to write this message is because I felt bad for making it personal. That makes me no better than the people I despise. I stand by my thoughts and am passionate about politics to a certain extent, but I have a lot of liberal friends and our different views have never caused us to despise eachother. So, as an american citizen who cares about my fellow americans, I apologize for getting too personal. That's why I always write lol on those posts. Cuz its such a sensative subject. I will say tho, that when u said "our prez is over 35 and an american citizen and that makes him qualified"... I'd have to disagree with u on that. It takes a lot more to be truly qualified to run this country, not just age and citizenship. It takes backbone and heart! Cuz it aint ez takin all the shit a president gets in his time in office. He has to be grounded in his beliefs and stand by them regardless of what his adversaries think.He needs to have the ability to stand FOR something, not AGAINST everything. Anyway, kindof a random message, but I wanted to be a bigger person than I was acting on jaquelin's post.

sims: January 28 at 4:49pm
Honestly, don't sweat any of it, Kevin. The "lol" thing is just a pet peeve of mine, the same as when people say something really shitty, and then think you should forget about it by adding "just sayin'."

I'm probably a great deal less liberal than you suspect, but likely more liberal about some things than you are. That's okay, I don't pretend to have all of the answers.

My issue with those that use the conservative label at this point in history, is that they seem to have completely yielded on many issues to simple, willful ignorance. The issue with Obama's birth certificate for example. The proof of where and when he was born are beyond question, and even with the several proven fake documents people like Orly Taitz have produced, some people refuse to believe that the President was born in this country. I'm sorry if it offends you for me to say this, but anyone who truly doubts this man's origins is either stupid, or being stupid on purpose.

And the other problem with wasting effort on idiotic fake controversies, is that it takes time and effort away from real debate. If you're against health care reform, more power to you. But did you actually believe that Obama was going to set up death panels to pull the plug on grandma? The entire premise is ridiculous, and in order to believe it, you must have a serious disconnect from reality.

The larger problem, of course, is that this country is in a rough spot. There are a lot of reasons for it, and while many of W's policies over the past 8 years contributed, every president going back 30 years had a hand in it. Clinton was the one who set the deregulation of the banks in motion. Bush might have gone ahead and done it anyway, but Clinton allowed Bush to wreck banking regulations a lot more quickly and thoroughly than he might have otherwise. What happens going forward is up for debate, but the economic situation right now simply isn't Obama's fault. The next 12-18 months will reveal a great deal, but this country got hit with an economic tsunami under Bush, and just because the water has receded, doesn't mean the cleanup is going to happen quickly or easily.

The country is where it is, because we have allowed it to get there, either by not paying attention, or just nodding every time a politician said "tax cut," and pretending that somehow infrastructure maintains itself, wars pay for themselves, and that a good education should be cheap, but don't raise my damned taxes. It just doesn't work that way.

The politicians have been treating us like children, because we refuse to be spoken to like adults.

Sorry for the rant, but we're here because we begged to be here.

Kevin: January 28 at 7:34pm Report
Well I agree with a lot of that believe it or not. I'm not a consperacy theorist and definitely don't believe obama wasn't born here. There r so many extremests on both sides that have confused a lot of people because of their ongoing rants. Its hard to kno what the truth is anymore so I don't listen to any of it. When a politician is talking, I look in his eyes to see the truth and I trust what my heart tells me to believe. I did stand behinf W. But don't claim that he was right about everything. However, I do think he got a bum wrap. We probably disagree on that, but one thing we can agree on I think is that even tho we r in a tough spot currently, we r all still very lucky to b americans. That's where I get offended, when people bash america. We r the luckiest people on earth to have the freedoms we have... To even have the freedom to have this very conversation. Anyway, thanks for the reply. Take care

sims: Jan 29 at 12:30am
I will simply say that I don't believe for a minute that criticizing my country is the same thing as not loving it. I'm fully capable of appreciating what's great about it, while recognizing that isn't the same thing as saying it's perfect, or has no room for improvement. We got to be the greatest country in the world by living by the principles laid out in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, not simply by virtue of being born here.

I'd be interested to know in what way you think that W got a bum rap, you know, really be specific. I know you can't blame everything on one guy, but let's face it, he's been a pretty substantial screw-up since he was a kid. He couldn't find oil in Texas, you can look it up.

Anyway, it's late, take care of yourself.

And then it began, long, long diatribes, all of them a single paragraph.

Kevin: 29 at 8:25am Report
First, I don't care where Obama was born. I do care about his phony chin in the air presence and lack of experience and qualifications. George Bush cut taxes and grew the job market by 6 million jobs over 8 years. He responded forcefully and directly to an assault on American soil by terrorists. He warned us it would be a long and painful war against terror and we all supported it. Not three months later, the liberals in Congress tried to cut his legs out from under him. He brought down a vicious, cruel dictator who had continually threatened America. Had we known what Hitler was going to do to millions of Jews, wouldn't it have been better to stop him before he could do it. Bush used the same intelligence which prompted Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and John Kerry to claim his dad, George Sr., allowed Hussein to produce weapons of mass destruction. All three made speeches saying we should take Saddam out. When W did just that, they all jumped ship because they all said he lied. He may have had some bad information but the fact is, there were weapons of mass destruction at one time and Saddam used them against his own people. They either were destroyed or removed, but that doesn't mean W. lied. A lie is when you know you're not telling the truth, he believed every word he said. W. never once whined about his treatment by the left wing press as have both Clinton and Obama about their treatment by the right, even going as far as wanting to shut down all conservative talk radio and news (liberals think freedom of speech only applies when they are speaking!). W. upgraded our nation's security, the libs held him hostage with the funding for the war by including billions in earmarks and entitlements that had nothing to do with the war. If he vetoed the bills, he would have been blasted for not supporting the troops. Still he did not whine or complain. Finally, his last two years in office he had a democratic congress. Check the national debt over these last three years, which includes Obama's first year and you will see a phenomenal jump in debt and a reduction of jobs. Obama blames Bush for everything. Bush, on the other hand, took the heat like a man and has never (as a past president) said anything derogratory about Obama. Therein lies the difference between a man and a boy.

sims: January 29 at 12:04pm
"Boy?" Really? Funny how things subtly reveal themselves.

You said, "He responded forcefully and directly to an assault on American soil by terrorists."

By invading Iraq? No one, not even GWB still believes Iraq had anything to do with any attack on the US. So, your "man" invaded a country, at a cost of over 5000 dead Americans (a lot more than died on 9/11), costing two TRILLION dollars. That will put one hell of a drag on an economy. It still is.

Your comparison of Saddam to Hitler is disgusting. The only people in history who even approach that level are Stalin, and maybe Pol Pot. Saddam was a piece of shit, and a brutal dictator, but he was never even remotely the type of threat to this country that Hitler was. It could easily be argued that the world is a better place with him gone. But I would also suggest that America would be in far better shape if he was still running Iraq. He was completely contained, and no threat to anyone, even his neighbors. The cost to carry out W's Oedipal revenge fantasy has been too high. Your concern for the plight of the Iraqi people is touching, but I imagine that will not lead to calls from you for humanitarian aid to them after our troops have come home from there. And Somalia? *crickets*

And feel free to cite more Democrats who enabled Bush to get away with the snow job he perpetrated on all of us. You won't find me trying to defend them for allowing what happened with the Patriot Act, waterboarding, any of it. They can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned, for thinking that they somehow knew better than our founding fathers what was necessary to defend this country.

Bush constantly blamed Clinton for the recession that started not long after Bush took office, and he also repeatedly tried to blame the Clinton administration for the intelligence failures that led to 9/11, although I'd still like to know how it was Clinton's fault that Bush never responded to the daily briefing titled "bin Laden determined to strike within US."

There may be liberals who are serious about trying to shut down right-wing radio, but none who are worth a damn. Awful things are said by people of all political stripes, but I will always defend their right to say them. There may be consequences, but everyone has the right to say whatever they choose, no matter how stupid. It isn't pretty speech that needs protection.

Besides, the press completely rolled over for Bush after 9/11, completely frightened out of doing their jobs, afraid that if they dared to mention that not ONE hijacker was from Iraq, or that al Qaeda and Hussein were enemies, that the frightened American people would turn on them. The press didn't even think about doing their jobs again until after New Orleans drowned.

You sort of forgot about that one, it appears. Heckuva job, Kevvy.

Kevin: January 29 at 4:32pm Report
Wow, u basicly just proved every point I make about liberals. U asked my opinion, I gave it, and once again u got personal and obviously completely offemded. I could argue every point u just made but its ull just come back w more false info. Ur so full of shotty info it makes me laugh. I apologized to u for getting personal, but I wish I didn't. I didn't kno u and obama were so close. U have his back like he's ur best friend. Please don't write back cuz ur impossible to have a reasonable coversation with. Ur use of big words makes u think ur smasrt I bet, but I see right through u and every other liberal. Tried to have a nice discussion w u but u won't have it. So go live in ur fantacy world and go on believing what u think is truth. It doesn't bother me as much as it obviously bothers u to hear someone elses opinion and take it respectfully. U think ur right and ur wrong! Do not bother me anymore please, ur a waste of time to hv a reasonable discussion with. Wow! Ur amazing!congratulations on being a complete idiot, with all ur rambling all I heard was "blah blah blah"

So, he's all done with me, right? I should be so lucky. Apparently, while I was out last night enjoying myself, he was stewing because he got no response from me.

 Kevin: January 30 at 6:26am Report
And to say my comparison to hitler is "disgusting" tells me enuf about u to kno ur literally too stupid to argue with. How do u possibly get off defending that guy even a little. And the war was not against any one country, it was against terrorism and anyone who backs or harbors terrorists u dum ass! Was sadaam not a constant supporter of terrorism? He posed a huge threat and because of guys like him, we lost more americans in one sitting on american soil than any other event in our history. That's enuf to piss me off. But I'm sure u thot sadam and other terrorists were reasonable enuf to talk to and negotiate with. If u negotiate with them. U r one in my book. That's what ur party wanted to do. Every man and woman who served in that war knew what they were getting into, don't dare take that away from them...they died for a much greater cause than u and I will ever get the chance die for... Including my best friend who died in iraq. Its people like u that try to tear our country apart and make it much easier for those who pose a threat on us to attack us. No one can defeat us if we all stood together. But no, ud rather stand behind those that flew planes into our buildings. Sometimes, it is just that simple!!! Everything u have has been faught for at one time. U wouldn't have a pot to piss in if it wasn't for war. So do I think war is a good thing? No... But it is an unfortunate nescessity when u have people around the world who have no care for human life. Ur rehearsed dialog is so sickening and full of shit that I literally cannot hear it anymore. I've played professional baseball for 8 yrs and the large majority of my fellow ball players would second my statements to u... Because we know what its like to sacrifice something for a higher goal. Pencil pushin bitches like u have no idea what its like to sacrifice anything. U just expect everything to be handed to u. I guess that's why u like obama. The bailouts are a joke. Give me the tools to better myself, don't do it for me. That creates dependancy on our government, we should depend on ourselves. U watch what happens in the next few years with this guy running things. U can already see if u open ur eyes. Go talk it out with sadaam, watch him say one thing to ur face, and then stab u in the back immediately after. Those type of people do not give a fuck! And yet, u come to his defense?? Un freakin believable. If u write back, I won't even open the email. I'm done letting ur ideology into my life cuz its pure crap. The thing that bugs me so much is how u think ur so smart. Words are words buddy. U can pull numbers and so called "facts" from anywhere. Real truth lies in ur heart and backbone, two things u clearly do not have!

sims: January 30 at 10:20am
Shocking, you've resorted to name-calling. And text-speak. But as noted earlier, you do seem to be quite emotional, and I have apparently hurt your feelings, which was certainly not my intent.

I'm also sorry that you managed to completely miss my point about trying to compare Saddam, or anyone, to Adolf Hitler. Hitler started a world war, exterminated 10-12 million people in concentration camps (6 million of them Jews), invaded nearly every country in Europe, resulting in something like 50 million deaths by the time the war was ended. Saddam was an irredeemable piece of garbage, responsible for many, many atrocities. Saying that he wasn't as awful as Hitler is not in any way defending him, it's a statement of fact, the same way it would be if I said that you aren't as bad as Saddam.

But he ain't in Hitler's class. Maybe if he hadn't been completely contained by the US & UN forces, almost completely disarmed after the first Gulf War, etc, MAYBE he would have wanted to wreak the kind of havoc Hitler did. But he couldn't, so he didn't. And if you still truly believe that there is an actual equivalency there, I'm not surprised that you view history as you do, because that would mean you lack the ability to understand perspective. You wouldn't be the first.

As for 9/11, that really wasn't the event where "because of guys like him, we lost more americans in one sitting on american soil than any other event in our history." Saddam was a secular Arab, and al-Qaeda are Sunni extremists, much like the Saudis who bankroll them. Saddam was a douchebag, but not a particularly religious one, which is another reason bin Laden hated him. I know it's tempting for you to lump all Arabs or Muslims into the same simple stereotype, and likely useless for anyone to expect you to begin to understand the philosophical differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims, and how that actually relates to the war on terror. But don't feel bad, Bush didn't understand it either, although I guess you can feel bad for your friend who died bravely in Iraq. It's too bad his commander in chief felt the need to sacrifice him in Iraq instead of the country where 15 of the 19 hijackers came from, Saudi Arabia. It's too bad that the Bush family's relationship with the Saudis goes back so far that he was more comfortable putting young American men and women at risk in order to take out a man in no way responsible for 9/11, rather than deal with the people responsible. That decision to let his friends off the hook for 9/11 may be the worst foreign policy decision in the long history of this country.

I think it's funny how you talk about "ur party" as though this was about something as base and simple as politics. I'm not a member of any political party, because all they do is gum up the process so that nothing can get done. I have no use for political parties, or people who are unable to see beyond the simple scorekeeping that they use to measure success and failure, while the country's future is at stake. I would abolish them all, actually.

I love baseball, played for many years myself. Not really sure how toiling away in the minor leagues in hopes of getting a fat Major League contract is an equivalent sacrifice to a higher goal in the same way joining the Marines and going to war is. But hey, I've had to stay in some lousy motels for road games, and been hit by pitches, too. You would appear to be suggesting that makes both of us just about Pat Tillman. Frankly, I doubt you can sell your sacrifice argument to anyone who understands the word. But I have no doubt you fall asleep with a clear conscience, like most children, and I do envy you for that.

You are right about the fact that al Qaeda cannot defeat us, though. If you think about it, they could carry out a 9/11-type attack every month for a year, and they still wouldn't kill as many of as as die in car accidents each year. They just aren't big enough to defeat us. The way they win is by scaring people like yourself, who then beg authoritarians to protect you at any cost, even by violating the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I know you think that you're a better American than I am because you're willing to send our own to die for payback against a country that wasn't a threat to us, but you really aren't. What you are is a frightened little boy who is willing to give up the rights and protections that MILLIONS have fought and died for, in order to gain some small illusion of safety.

You are pathetic, and it is people like you that will be the death of our way of life, not a few thousand Muslims with death fantasies. Sleep well, and just keep on never thinking about the cost.

There's really nothing you can say to people like this, I mean, just nothing at all. You would think people as panicky as this wouldn't sleep like babies, but they do. I sometimes wonder how well I'd sleep if I could give up 25 IQ points.

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posted at 10:21 AM

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Czar chasm

50-70000 people showed up in Washington DC Saturday to protest...something. Everything! A few snippets:




The remarkable thing here, is that there is very little of this which has been taken out of context. It's easy to make people look stupid via editing, but the interviewer was really only asking them why they were so upset about the things that their signs claimed that they were upset about. Again, I'm not really wild about the debt and deficit being where they are, but when the economy is where it is, this is the only recourse. You don't have to be happy about it, but it'd be nice if you could veer close enough to reality for a moment to at least acknowledge a couple of things:

Barack Obama isn't responsible for cratering the economy.

Things would be a damn sight worse if the stimulus bill had not passed.

Thus, here we are in a very strange moment, where we have the chance to make some real improvements in the way this country operates, and there are people, even those who would benefit, who are opposed to it because televised multi-millionaires have told them they ought to be. I will not go so far as to refer to them as "oligarhs."


Oligarchs, maybe. Plutocrats? Definitely.

I try very hard to see issues and events from all sides, because I have no use for political parties, and no ideology has a lock on good answers or common sense. So, I watch these events, and I wait for the moment where someone says something that makes me think, "Okay, I can agree with you in principle on some of that." But there's just so much WHARRGARBL, that it's nearly impossible to latch on to something that doesn't make you feel lobotomized.

Honestly, I'm to the point anymore where I'm halfway in your corner if you can just say what's bugging you without screaming or starting to cry. The right has turned into the left, all emotion and no brains, just angry, scared, and making everything about everything all the time, which is a classic liberal mistake.

For example, the anti-war protests. You're against the war? Great, march make signs, show the colors. But when the left turns out, PETA shows up, NORML is there, Greenpeace blows in, looking to roll severely obese marchers back into the nearest body of water.

But the right has guzzled down that particular gallon of left-wing stupid. These people who showed up in DC Saturday were angry about health care, that Obama is African, that we have officials called Czars, higher taxes, that Obama is a Muslim, ACORN, the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, to support Joe Wilson, a civilian corps of volunteers to do work in the US, the new combo philosophy of Communist Fascism, that Jesus isn't president, Barney Frank, to take the country back, mandatory abortions for all females over 11, that the country has been mostly destroyed, that "Barack Obama" means "anti-christ" in Hebrew, and just dozens of other really sensible, well-thought out reasons to be upset without needing to admit that the president is colored and that ain't America.

I know that this isn't all about racism, there are legitimate political and philosophical reasons to dislike what the president is doing. But most of this is about racism.

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posted at 3:25 PM

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
We can still lose without you


Here we are, more than halfway through 2009, and still, 48 million Americans have no access to health care. I wrote about this almost five years ago, and at the time, George W. Bush was president, and both houses of Congress were run by Republicans. Remember? Karl Rove's permanent majority?

The point is, there was no way that the people of the United States were going to get health care, because it was more important for these bought-and-paid-for stooges to protect their corporate masters' short-term profits, than to save a few thousand meaningless American lives. Hell, these people wouldn't even pony up to protect the health of children. But that was then.

Now, we have Barack Obama as president, who is, according to the best and brightest in Conservative thought, a Socialist. And as I recall, an Arab.


The main thing is, he wants health care for all Americans, as do 72% of us here in the US. But here in 2009, Obama has a Democratic majority in Congress who can get it done. Hell, as of this week, with the addition of Al Franken, it's an unfilibusterable (just made that up) super majority. Yay! We're getting a public option for health care NOTSOFAST.

I find it interesting that when anything important needs to be voted on, the Republican party can pull the leash on its members, and get them to vote in unison for whatever they're told to do. I don't like party-line politics as a rule. Truthfully, I have no use for political parties, and would never join one. But hey! If the GOP can get their ducks in a row, then there's no reason that the Dems can't do it to pass something important like health care, especially since, and I can't put too fine a point on this, 72% of the people in this country want a government option. Will we get it? Doubtful.

The problem is that the Democrats in the Senate have a preponderance of members suffering from chronic cases of being too old and too self-important. I'd also like to add "useless." Max Baucus, for example, Democrat of Montana, has said on many occasions that a public option is "off the table." Ben Nelson of Nebraska, has echoed these sentiments, as has Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. I'm sure their boss, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada will pull rank and get these guys in line, right? Because, as you may have heard, 72% of Americans want a government health care option.

Well, Reid has flip-flopped all over the place on this issue, as well as most others of importance, and cannot be counted on to get this done. What can we do? Hmm, wait a minute...

Montana. Nebraska. North Dakota. Louisiana. Nevada.

These are mostly large, windy, empty places, represented by people who resemble that description. What else do they have in common? There are sure a lot of white people in those places who think of themselves as rugged individualist Libertarian types. These states are, historically, red ones, and vote Republican. Louisiana too, now that New Orleans has been rid of so many black voters, thanks to Bush's indifference before, during and after Katrina.

You want to pass real health care reform with the necessary public option, President Obama? Easy as pie, just do this:

Call each of these senators, and any other Democrats who are being weaselly about this, into your office. Ask them if you can count on their vote for your health care plan, and please do not fail to mention that 72% of Americans want this, with a majority even willing to pay higher taxes to get it.

If they are unable to pledge their support on this, make a vow to them. Promise to support a Democrat against him or her who will help you in next senatorial primary in their state. Even if they prevail, it will cost them millions of dollars, and leave them in a weakened position when the general election comes up the following November. Remind them that they are in states that have found it very easy to elect Republicans to office. If any of them are actually stupid enough to ask why you would be willing to cede Democratically-held seats to Republicans, explain the obvious:

"We can still lose without you."

Explain that the American people want to have guaranteed access to health care, and that the fact that we are the only major industrialized country without it is a miserable embarrassment at every level. Make them understand that this is not simply a smart move economically in the long term, but the right thing to do morally.

But mostly, make them understand that if you are unable to pass this legislation, it makes no difference to you whether it fails 59-41, 55-45, or 52-48. You can lose it with or without them, they are not special, and if they are unable to see how vitally important this is to the future of the United States, they are not even necessary.

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posted at 8:31 AM

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Home of the what, now?

The past couple of weeks have really been astounding as the debate about the closure of Guantanamo creeps forward. The truly elegant stupidity of this uproar, is that no one is talking about whether or not the facility is legal under any interpretation of US law, or whether the torturous acts committed there will be prosecuted. We're only talking about the closure, and what it means for the people incarcerated there. Where will they go?

"Well, you can't just let them go! they'll return to the battlefield! Anyone who would do that is soft on terror!"

There's probably some truth to that. There are currently 240 terror suspects being held in Gitmo. Even though I'm sure that some of them are guilty of some prosecutable crime, I can't say this with certainty, because none of them have had trials. Details, details...

I'm not advocating just letting all 240 of them go at all. And I definitely wouldn't let them all go if there were even as many as 540 of them. Some of them might return to terror activities, or the not guilty ones might be so pissed at us, they might sign on to the cause.

Funny about that number, 540. That's actually how many Guantanamo detainees that the Bush administration let go without trial. Just let them go. That seems kind of whimsical, to determine on one day that a man so terrifying that he needs to be locked up without charges is, on the next day, no threat whatsoever. But what else can you do, right?

"You can't bring them to the US, buddy! Don't even suggest that! Willingly import terrorists? Why do you hate America?"

Again, it's apparently better to release these guys, than to bring them here to be held, tried, and probably convicted.

"That won't work! That's why we have the military tribunal system!"

You're right, the US system of justice wouldn't work on terrorists. I mean, aside from the blind sheik who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, Timothy McVeigh, shoe-bomber Richard Reed, and Jose Padilla, there are only a bunch of other terrorists who have been convicted in US courts. They're all still in jail.

"Yeah, well... not in my backyard!"

Okay, mine then.

There is a maximum security state facility less than 10 miles from where I sit. I will take every damned one of the 240 Guantanamo detainees, have them placed in this prison while they await trial in US courts, and I will not lose a moment of sleep over it. Honestly, between the Aryan Brotherhood, the Mexican Mafia, Crips, Bloods, La Nuestra Familia, the Mexikanemi, and the Nazi Low Riders, I just don't think any of these guys would last a month.

"But what if they escape? What about my family?"

Okay, here's the thing: I'm starting to think you're a real spineless candyass.

If my state prison can't be trusted, I suppose we can always turn to the federal government's one and only supermax facility, ADX Florence in Colorado. "The Alcatraz of the Rockies" they call it. Florence opened in 1994, I will go ahead and list for you the names of everyone who has ever escaped from this prison:

*crickets*

So, I just don't buy your arguments about why these suspects can't be imprisoned and tried in the US, and under US laws. It's a really good system, one that has worked for a couple of hundred years, and truth be told, it's a better system now than when it was designed, because improvements have been made the entire time. Not so much lately, but still, it's pretty well designed.

Unfortunately, you still have professional pants-wetters like House Minority Leader, John Boehner who wails that "importing the (Gitmo prisoners) would be a strategic mistake and an incredible risk. Or Senator John Thune of South Dakota who noted, quite astutely, that "the American people don't want these men walking the streets of America's neighborhoods!"

But I'd really like to give special attention to Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, who cast a vote against President Obama's plan to close Guantanamo, because, as he explained at a press conference, "I’m saying that the United States Senate, Democrats and Republicans, do not want terrorists to be released in the United States. That’s very clear."

A reporter was decent enough to point out the obvious: "No one’s talking about releasing them. We’re talking about putting them in prison somewhere in the United States."

Reid replied: "Can’t put them in prison unless you release them."

While this may not be the single most idiotic thing I've ever heard a politician say, I'm sure we can do a hell of a lot better with our elected representatives, and we can make the country a hell of a lot safer merely by following the rules laid out in the Constitution. They work really well.

In the mean time, but on a Depends, you weeping, pathetic coward.

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posted at 3:37 PM

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Thursday, April 16, 2009
I Know What You Are

I don't think in my entire life, I've used or heard the word "teabagging" as much as I have in the past week. It's nice to be given the excuse to be excruciatingly vulgar, and no one is allowed to reprimand you by doing anything more serious than rolling their eyes.

I refer to the nationwide "grass roots" tax revolt that weird conservative groups orchestrated this week. All over the country, well-planned and spontaneous outrage broke out all over the land, as people, mostly over 55, judging by the video, complained that they are being taxed to death.

Oddly enough, 95% of Americans received a tax cut on their pay starting at the beginning of the month. 95% of us! Basically, anyone earning less than 250k a year now has more cash than they did a few weeks ago. Anyone believe that the majority of these huckleberries waving signs this week are making that kind of cake? Me either.

So, what the hell is going on? Is it just politics? The beloved W is gone, and now we have some lib'rul, excuse me, Socialist/Marxist in charge? Is that it? I think it's kind of pathetic to muster up outrage over crass party politics, especially while the object of your ire is making your life incrementally better. But that's your right.

I have, over the past several years, tried to understand why people who have no assets rail against the Estate Tax, which only impacts assets north of 10 million dollars. They believe the lie of trickle-down economics, that if we only make the super-rich super richer, they will suddenly get all lovey-dovey toward the rest of us, who were too stupid to be born into money, or who have failed to make ten million on our own.

You're an economic Uncle Tom, defending your masters, while they own your ass, lock, stock and barrel. How can you be house slave even after you've lost your house? But that's still not what this is about.

As much as I hate to say it, because it's been said so often for so long, that it's nearly become meaningless, this is about racism.

When did deficits become bad? When did America start careening down the wrong path? This is about a relatively small percentage of people who are outraged that the land that Jesus himself reserved for them started being run by one of the mud people.

"We're losing everything, man!" come the cries from former tough guys, now reduced to tears by the notion of a person not born rich or white has managed to become President. They gave Clinton the same crap for being highly-aspiring white trash, but at least the trash he was had the proper shading to it.

There are currently more than half-a-dozen state legislatures in this country currently mulling over bills declaring "sovereignty." Texas governor Rick Perry crawled right up to the edge of calling for Texas to secede from the US over the budget and stimulus packages that have been passed. He's still taking the money, of course. He sort of has to, he's a fucking hypocrite.

So now it's treason for you poor sons-of-bitches, you're ready to quit the country because the president's dad was black. I'd say good riddance, but I like that we have 50 states; it's a nice round number and easy to remember. Y'all need to stop being such emotional drama queens, take two steps back, and think for one minute who is actually responsible for this sorry state of affairs.

And by all means, keep on teabaggin'. I'm just glad the British never taxed the holes in corn.

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posted at 8:41 PM

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Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Transfer

Tuesday will be a momentous day, as one president leaves office, and another assumes responsibility. As much as I've wished for a coup in the past eight years, I'm still kind of proud that we manage to make changes like these without bloodshed. We've done it this way longer than most.

The worst president in my lifetime will head back to Texas, which would be considered a punishment in many circles. But he will live richly, and his lackeys will cast a wide net over the oil-producing regions to raise money to build his presidential library. The first lady, in her younger days, was a librarian, but there is a great deal of doubt as to whether George W. Bush would even consider setting foot in a library, even one bearing his name. One may tempt him with a complete bound collection of Highlights magazine, but discerning the literary tastes of a man more Goofus than Gallant is not easy.

But what this monument to arrogance will not contain will be any hint of second-guessing, admission of mistake, and certainly evidence of responsibility taken for the damage done to the United States, in both the physical and mental senses, not to mention to the reputation of this nation as a country of laws. I hope the president will be buried in his Mausoleum of Thought, and right soon.

The Bush administration has an endless list of crimes for which it is responsible. It has been relatively easy for the ever-increasing throngs in this country who have turned their backs on the failed dreams of a bankrupt ideology to pin blame where it belongs. It took a great deal of looking the other way on the part of the press and citizenry of this nation to allow such outrages to be perpetrated in our names, but on Tuesday one thing changes:

Bush crimes become American crimes.

At noon Eastern time on Tuesday, the people of this country, and the Obama administration do not begin a new history, we merely continue one. Over the past few months, administration officials and others in a position to know have said in no uncertain terms that this country has tortured people. There is no longer any need to use euphemisms, the word is out there, and the word is "torture." We have unofficially admitted to officially sanctioned war crimes.

The new Attorney General, Eric Holder, when asked at his confirmation hearing whether or not waterboarding is torture, stated unequivocally that is. As the highest ranking law official in the United States, his responsibility is simply to apply the measure of the law to people in this country. No one is above it, no one is exempt. He will take his cues from the new president on what to do with the evidence that exists, and that which still requires investigation.

Barack Obama is reticent to start a cycle of the new gang going after the old gang, which, practically speaking is sensible. In this case, he simply has no choice but to allow the Justice Department to freely investigate the heinous crimes of the Bush administration. There are two simple reasons:

This country can not be allowed to sink to the depths of third-rate dictatorships, where whomever is in charge can make arbitrary decisions about what the law means, and whom it applies to.

If these crimes are not prosecuted, they will serve as precedent for the next time it happens.

And there is always a next time.

The United States has made a much-needed course correction, but it has not done anything to fix the damage done. I beg of you, President Obama, for the greater good of the American ideal, and that of justice, investigate, investigate, investigate. Anything less is tacit approval and continuation of the crimes of the Bush presidency. That is not change. And I cannot ever believe in it.

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posted at 5:34 PM

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Thursday, November 06, 2008
I Got Your Mandate Right Here

With only one electoral college vote in Nebraska still outstanding, the final score from Tuesday is:

Obama/Biden - 364
McCain/Palin - 173

This is a blowout. I know it's a blowout, because every time I turn on the television, any Real American™ within shouting distance of a camera keeps screaming that the results don't mean anything, that this is still a center-right country, and if the Democrats try and push a liberal agenda, Ronald Reagan will rise from the grave and send arms to Iran in exchange for hostages.

Something like that, it's hard to understand a lot of them from all of the sobbing. Let's review:

Barack Obama is:

A terrorist
A Muslim
A Muslim terrorist
an atheist
A black supremacist
A Socialist
A Communist
the antiChrist
a foreigner
black

All over this country for the past several months, preachers have been standing in the pulpit, advising their customers to pray for an Obama loss.

First of all, I'm taking your non-political tax-exempt status, dickhead.

And what does Tuesday say about your belief? Either there is no God, God doesn't like you very much, or God just doesn't give a damn about the amusing election ritual that the tiny blobs of plasma slithering around here in some small corner of the Milky Way have every so often.

Assuming that any of these possibilities are true, let's get back to the list of what Barack Obama is, and take one of the milder ones. "Black" is pretty inflammatory, so I'm going to go with "Socialist."

Barack Obama is a Socialist.

Everyone knows this. It was reported all over the networks, newspapers, and online. This charge first made the rounds after Senator Obama was asked a question by a man we've come to know as Joe Sort Of A Plumber. It caught on like wildfire, Sarah Palin inflamed crowds as she clucked about America turning into a country like Africa, and the handful of Americans who still have wealth worried about a President Obama redistributing it. There is no question, a vote for Obama is a vote for Socialism.

Does that still count? Did this country just overwhelmingly vote for Socialism? We knew what we were doing, we were warned. What does this say about us? It's a landslide for Socialism.

Welcome to The People's Republic of The United States of America.

You put a safety net in place for citizens, it's Socialism. You do it for entire industries or banks, and it's...what? Reaganomics? Trickle-down? Voodoo Economics? Dry ass-rape of the taxpayer? Only one of these vaunted theories actually works, and I encourage you to do the research on which just as soon as you can sit down again.

In the meantime, the Socialist won. And this wasn't some split decision handed to him by Daddy's Supreme Court, Obama won this thing big. It wasn't even close.

You know who should be happy? Joe the Plumber. And not because as everyone now knows, he'll be better off under Obama's tax plan, that he doesn't make anywhere near $250k a year, that he couldn't buy his boss' business if he lived to be 100. Nope, JT Plumber will be better off in our gleaming new Welfare state, because he himself has been on Welfare. Twice.

Conservatives defined Barack Obama as a Socialist. This country has given Barack Obama an overwhelming mandate. Do the math.

In other news, there will still be mandates here in California, but due to the polygamy people, there will be no man-marriage.

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posted at 8:32 PM

1 comments

Tuesday, November 04, 2008
We're back

We still have a hell of a hole to climb out of, but the United States is done fucking around. 70 million ignorant hillbillies just elected a black man raised by a single mother on food stamps, who worked his way into Harvard.

Get back to me when your executive branches show some color. We'll be in touch on January 21st. We look forward to working with you again.

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posted at 9:41 PM

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Sunday, November 02, 2008
The New Face of the Republican Party

Two days to go, and barring an out-and-out theft of the election on Tuesday, the United States will have elected its first black president. It seems like that would be a pretty good topic for a blog, but I'll leave that to the more eloquent among us, like the good people at New Republic Online.

Should it come to pass, John McCain will be able to spend more time at homes, and Sarah Palin can take her trailer back to Alaska. But this will not be the last we see of her.

Mooselini has already advised the people who live in Real America™ that no matter what happens, we haven't seen the last of her. She's had a taste of the world outside of her enclave, and like most Neocons, sees the things that set her heart aflutter:
  1. A fortune to be made for her and her cronies
  2. Millions of heathen souls to save
So, that's incentive.

There's no getting around the woman's political skills. She's got good instincts, in spite of her ignorance, she's possibly quite intelligent, and let's face it, she's a good-looking woman. Attractive politicians do have a natural advantage, which is why I'm still scratching my head at the wholesale rejection of Rudy Giuliani.



Baffling.

You can really see it at the Palin/McCain rallies. People who really work for a living, white collar, blue collar, you name it, the people just go nuts when she's up there, even though 99% of them will be better off under the Obama tax plan than the one McCain offers.

Some of it may be cultural issues, sure. If all you care about is abortion, then you knew who you wanted to vote for three years ago. Everything else is nebulous, from the war in Iraq to the economy, although most people seem to agree that Obama actually has a plan that could help our country and its people.

An aside: Have you seen these bumper stickers?

Do you think they'll still count if Obama wins?

But back to Palin, the reaction to her, from people who would be poorly served by her ticket's victory is visceral. Perhaps even a little lower, to be specific.

Let me be blunt: A lot of the men hootin' and hollerin' during her speeches just want to bang the bejeezus out of her.

That's fine, really. It's not great for the country, but it's honest, and I can live with that. Just don't pretend that McCain made a responsible choice in picking her, and I won't criticize you for having a hanging chad about her. I freely admit, she's hot. But this may not be her year.

So, if it doesn't work out for Team Maverick, there's always 2012 for Sarah. If she is as smart as I suspect she is, she'll get back to Alaska, study like hell, and be prepared for the exams that will start late in 2011. She could make herself mentally qualified for office, notwithstanding her bizarre fear of witches.


But 2012 is four years away. If Obama wins and does well, she may not want to be the sacrificial lamb against an incumbent. That leaves us in 2016.

Eight years is a long time. Again, she may use this time to vastly improve herself in the foreign policy arena, as well as become conversant about education, science, ecology, the environment, how many baseball teams are in Pennsylvania, the Constitution, you name it. There are a lot of ways she could become truly formidable if she works hard and studies. I have no reason to believe that she isn't capable of this kind of improvement. But let me ask you this, rabid Palin partisans:

Are you still going to want to fuck her in eight years?

If that's a portion of what makes her "intriguing" to you as a candidate, how are you going to feel about her when she's 52 and is losing her looks? Or will she just be another mouthy broad who needs to get her ass back to the kitchen once the Neiman-Marcus wardrobe begins needing to be let out a few sizes?


I can't imagine why she'd end up with pancakes on her head, but I can't see the future any more clearly than anyone else. I hope she does stick around, and tries to make something of herself. I hope she tries to shortcut her path to legitimacy by flirting, winking, acidic sarcasm, and continuing to backstab her mentors as she's done since she first entered local politics. And I hope cameras will be rolling to see her face the first time someone says to her, "Aren't kind of old to behave this way, ma'am?"

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posted at 1:39 PM

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