May You Live in Interesting Times...

OK, I look at the candidates, and I got nothing. Then I get this e-mail, telling me how evil liberals are and how righteous conservatives are. The e-mail gives me a list of issues and how each of the "big three" voted on said issues.

Here is what it says about Obama on NAFTA:
Wants to amend NAFTA and other trade agreements to impose "strong labor and environmental standards"
Publically pledged to withdraw from NAFTA unless Canada and Mexico agree to renegotiate

On Free trade Agreements:
Opposes such agreements
Has consistently voted against FTAs, agreements that give American companies the ability to compete for market access abroad
Voted against CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), opposes recently signed FTAs yet to be voted on by Congress (e.g., Korean FTA, Columbian FTA, etc)

John McCain on NAFTA:
Supports NAFTA and other FTAs

On Free Trade Agreements;
Supports free trade – believes the U.S. should "engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce barriers to trade"
Has consistently supported FTAs

Now, I ask you, who is being liberal now?

Now I don't agree with much that any politician says or does these days, but if I were going to vote based on any one issue, this would be the issue. Barack Obama is the first candidate to even put the idea that we should repeal NAFTA on the table (besides me, of course). Why is that a "Liberal" stance?

How is it "Conservative" to ship our freaking livelyhood to Jakarta, or Seoul?

How about we stop looking at Liberal or Conservative, and start looking at what we can do to save our freaking economy. If we continue to send our manufacturing jobs outside of our borders, we will become a nation with no backbone of industry. Being the most technologically advanced society won't mean squat when we can't build a fucking automobile. We aren't improving the "Global Economy" one bit with our free trade agreements, either. We are keeping third world nations under Corporate America's thumb, just like they like to keep us.

This is the most rediculous thing I have ever had to argue about. Why does anyone think that a blanket "Free" trade agreement is a good idea? Why can't we negotiate specific trade agreements with nations, one at a time? Is Congress too busy? Is there some other influence on the situation? You bet there is, from the World Bank to the WTO, there are foreign investors who are influencing our government. There are Arab Muslims who are influencing your Congresman to give your job to some shmuck in Thailand.

There will always be too much money floating around DC, and there will always be special interest influence. Why can't we be an interest group? I know! We'll call ourselves the rightful citizens and voters of this country!

Maybe Barack Obama is no answer, OK, I'll grant you that. Just remember that the Bush and Clinton cycle got us where we are, John McCain thinks things are peachy all over, and Ralph Nader is worried that we aren't safe enough as consumers.

The most expediant concern in this country right now is border security and Free Trade (specifically the getting rid of). Not a candidate one has a border security plan. Only one has a plan to renegotiate NAFTA.

Insanity

I have heard that repetitive behavior with the expectation of new results is the definition of insanity.

Every election, we discuss abortion-knowing fully that it will remain legal.

Every election, we discuss illegal immigration-knowing fully that know real measures are being taken to secure our borders.

Every election, we discuss the job market-knowing fully that our jobs are being sent overseas and that this will continue.

I could go on and on about this, and probably will.

My point is simple, as always: If we continue to reward the bad behavior of our elected officials with continued employment, nothing will ever change.

Chicken A La King or Poached Fish?

Did you ever think about what would happen if Barack Obama became President?

I'll tell you-Not much. He's no different from any other candidate.

Let's illustrate-What legislation has he pushed through that was of any import?

What is his voting record on the issues that count?

Now let's talk about John McCain...

He has been in Congress for so long that I would be willing to bet that he has voted either way on almost any issue...

Hillary is the only candidate that I can name that has actually done anything tangible of late, and she only did that in anticipation of running for President.

But wait, what's that on the horizon? Is that a new hope? Is there a hero in shining armor riding forth?...

Nope, its Ralph Nader. This is a guy that, while he IS capable of getting stuff done, is also responsible for a large number of the consumer safety requirements that have become a pain in our asses for the last two generations. This is the jackass that got Congress to require that automobile manufacturers put seatbelts in all of their products.

Hmmm...

OK, why not. This is a guy that almost single-handedly reduced traffic fatalities in this country by 35% over 30 years. I can't compare any other candidates accomplishments to that...

The Angry Bulldog

I was having a conversation about the lack of response on my blog, and someone pointed out that people are upset because they don't have anyone to vote for. Apparently none of the candidates are quite what people want.

I have to say America, that's just BS.

If you want to sit and watch the continuing downward spiral, so be it. If you think that having crappy choices for candidates in this election is an excuse not to get involved, you are just being lazy. There hasn't been a decent choice for president or any other office in generations. These people are not now-nor have they ever been-your champions.


If there were decent people running for office in the past few elections, don't you think that we would have chosen one? Don't you feel like that would have become the trend? I know that Rush Limbaugh has all of you convinced that liberals are evil, and I know that CNN has you all convinced that conservatives are primitive, but let's face reality-THE IMAGES THAT WE HOLD IN OUR MINDS OF WHAT WE CONSIDER OUR OPPOSITION IN POLITICS HAVE BEEN CREATED ENTIRELY BY THE POLITICAL MACHINE WE HAVE COME TO HATE.

People are just people. even those Americans with which I disagree have the same basic goals and desires for this country that I do. The idea of "ultra-conservative" or the "extreme left" has been presented to us all as a truth, and it is the ultimate lie. John McCain is a self-serving prick who does not care one wit about the Constitution or your freedom. Barack Obama is an apologist twit with no clear understanding of the "change" he preaches. They are all the worst kinds of people, because they assume to know what's best for all of us with no regard for what we really want or need.

I'm voting for the Democratic candidate, because I want to see things change, not because I believe they have a clue. In four years I will vote Republican, because I hope to have convinced some of you, any of you, to do so with me. Not in support of a political party, but in the hopes that we may somehow get their attention and take back our country.

No incumbent will get my vote for the next six years, and neither will their political party. If I can't vote for a good candidate, then I will spend all my time taking power from those who have used theirs unwisely.

Jundi

I sit here at my desk at 11:18pm, somewhere in Mississippi. I am still in uniform, as my duty day just ended. I have not showered in three days. My hands are covered in grit and grime from the past week's training and the oil and carbon from cleaning my weapon. I am by far the least exhausted of all the Soldiers in my unit. I am the Admin NCO, or pay clerk to use the old term.

Sixty percent of the Soldiers in my unit are on their second tour to Iraq. Nine of us are on our 3rd or 4th deployment since September 11th, 2001. Eighty-six wives and over 150 children wait for our safe return. We are carpenters, school teachers, corrections officers, cops, firemen, truck drivers, students, and factory workers. We are America.

In Iraq, they call us "Jundi"(joon-dee), which is arabic for Soldier. We may get painted as villains at times by CNN and the like, but the Iraqis knew that we were trying to help for the most part. We look forward to feeling like that again.

You see, when we were over there last time, we felt very powerful. Sure, we had a license to kill (when needed), but more importantly, we had the ability to make a change. We kept people safe in a very tangible way. We were defenders of the weak, and the poor, and the downtrodden. We fed children and secured schools. We got the damn water turned back on. We empowered the Iraqi people to vote, for the first time in generations.

We come home, and the ability to make a tangible positive change goes away. Everything gets bogged down by the machine. All things difficult are argued into the impossible, and America feels stale and sickly. Television is mindless distraction, work is monotonous and boring.

Some of us discovered that being a good husband and father is satisfying. Others just waited for the next opportunity to feel that power. You see, the ideology that made America great is still new to Iraqis. The war in Iraq is being won, slowly and surely. More and more the people of Iraq are seeing that they have the power. They need the Jundi less and less as time passes. Soon they will fight political battles in the halls of the capitol instead of on the streets of Baghdad.

Many of us are saddened as we watch this process. Where will we find the power to make a change now? Some will find a voice in politics. Some will become community organizers of some sort or another. A die-hard few of us will still be in boots for the next opportunity to make a change that can be seen and felt for the unfortunate and oppressed.

Do us a favor-Vote to make a change. Let us know that you understand and feel what it is that we represent. I promise you that once you make a difference it is nearly impossible to stop doing so.

An Article by Charley Reese

I usually think that Charley Reese is an insufferable gasbag, but I just got this article e-mailed to me, and I like it, so here you go.-Bulldog23A

Charley Reese, a writer with the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper has offered a rather fresh look at the national leaders who are responsible for most of the mess we find our nation in.

THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMERICA'S WOES!!
BY CHARLEY REESE

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court Justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton- picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a SPEAKER, who stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.

I would like to point out that while I like the general idea behind this article, I do not place the blame solely on the heads of politicians. This is my fault and your fault, too. We have failed to actively participate in our own governance for far too long.-Bulldog23A

Straight to Hell in a Handbasket

First, I just want to say that I have no clear idea what a handbasket is.

Next, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday...hey, wait a minute, this ain't no freaking holiday. Never mind.

Now, down to bidness.

What the hell are people thinking. We have got a serious problem here in America when the most incompetent people in the country are running the show. We are so lazy and unambitious anymore that we would rather sit around and whine about things that are wrong than actually risk a little change and see how it works out. I got an e-mail explaining to me that Barak Obama is black and that Hillary Clinton is a woman, like that would convince me to vote for John McCain or Mike Huckabee.

Let me clear it up for you-IT DOESN'T MATTER ONE TINY LITTLE SLIVER WHO WE ELECT THIS TIME, AS LONG AS WE FIRE THEM NEXT CHANCE WE GET!

I'm sick to death of everyone acting like Barak is a Muslim, or Hillary is a Liberal. The truth is that you and I will never know what they are really all about because they are politicians, which makes them exactly like John McCain or Mike Huckabee. What they are hiding is probably a lot like what Pres Bush was hiding from us back in the day-a political agenda that had little to do with the truth, or what's right, or justice, or the overall betterment of the United States of America.

The sad truth is quite simple-We are running out of time to make a difference. We absolutely have to start the changes soon, or it will all go right down the toilet. Some would argue that it has, and my answer is take a vacation in Beruit if you want to see what it could be like.

Vote against every incumbent Senator and Representative. In two years, do it again. Next presidential election, Vote out the incumbent. In two more years, vote out the Congressional incumbents one more time.

If we do this, they will start to make positive changes for our benefit. They will start to earn their living. They will start to listen.

Alfred E. Neumann for President

And just why the hell not?...

I Know What You Want

I feel your frustration. I see the wariness in the eyes of working-class people across the country. We are not fooled by the pompous promises and hints of a better world. Republicans are self-righteous pigs, and Democrats are whores.

Our nation is being sold to the highest bidder, and the buyers hate us for our low-level morality and our spoiled sense of comfort. We are the rich bully to most of the world, and half the politicians are happy with that. The other half want us to apologize for having anything.

Even in America, we are simple. We, the People just want a few things.

I want to be able to earn a living.

I want my children to get the best available education.

I want to raise my family in a safe environment.

I want to someday live in reasonable comfort based on what I have earned.

Am I different from you? I doubt it. You may not have children yet, but I bet you want those things, too. You may want more than I do, but I seriously doubt that you want less.

Do any of your Congressmen act like they are interested in this list? Do any of the current presidential candidates? Is this the life that the media presents as attractive?

We will have to make choices in the next few years that will have serious consequences for America in the future. Quite simply, we need to take our nation back. Not with any violence, but with the simple act of voting out the petty criminals and low-lifes that currently populate our government. We must vote against whoever is in office, simply to make a change. They act as if our voice is inneffective, let us force them to hear us again. Let us ensure that no single political party and no single individual in Congress or any other branch has any effect whatsoever. Vote in a new Congressman, and as soon as opportunity rises, vote him or her out again. It will only take a few years for them to understand that we still run this show.

Maybe I'm raging against the machine too quietly or too late. Maybe nobody cares.

If you do, convince someone else.